Due to the ongoing war, Jerusalem’s
municipal elections, originally scheduled for October 31, 2023, have been
delayed multiple times. However, this week, the elections will finally take
place in a turbulent city.
Last fall, Palestinians in Jerusalem
engaged in a significant debate about whether it was expedient to participate
in these elections.
15 lists are competing for the 30 seats
on the council, with a thirty-first seat reserved for the elected mayor. The
number of votes needed to secure a seat is 7,500. The outgoing council is
largely composed of extreme right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties. Opinion
polls indicate that the current mayor, Moshe Lion, from the right-wing Likud
Party, is the most likely to be reelected for a second term.
Since 1967, no Palestinian has served on
the council or as mayor in Jerusalem, despite comprising nearly 40 percent of
the city’s population, estimated to number 375,600 in 2021. The vast majority
of Palestinian Jerusalemites are permanent residents, entitled to vote only in
municipal elections and to serve on the council. However, for 56 years, they
have largely declined to participate, ever since Israel occupied the eastern
side of the city in 1967.
Since 1967, no Palestinian has served on the council or as mayor in Jerusalem, despite comprising nearly 40 percent of the city’s population, estimated to number 375,600 in 2021.
Last spring, 69-year-old Walid Abu
Tayyeh, a respected lawyer and former accountant from Nazareth who has been
living in the Beit Safafa neighborhood of East Jerusalem for decades, decided
to buck tradition and form a Palestinian list to run in the elections, with
himself as its head for mayor. Abu Tayyeh subsequently reached an agreement
with 33-year-old Palestinian woman Sondos al-Hout, a language teacher and
fellow Jerusalemite originally from Nazareth and also a citizen, to have her
lead the list.
This list was intended to bring about the
unexpected: the possibility that there will be a Palestinian representative in
the Municipal Council, which is controlled by the extreme right and Jewish
religious parties, for the first time.
While this was not the first Palestinian
or Palestinian–Jewish list, it was a more broadly representative one that could
have had a shot at bringing reluctant Palestinians out to vote. The list, which
eventually expanded into a Palestinian–Jewish list, registered to run under the
name Kol Toshaveha, Hebrew for ‘All Its Residents’, arousing an intense
community discussion. At the time, Abu Tayyeh told an interviewer, “On election
day, I estimate that we can get as many as 80,000, or even 100,000 votes . . . including
a few thousand Jewish ones.”
However, the majority of intellectual and
moderate political leaders opted for a wait-and-see attitude, arguing that the
debate and political conditions had not yet matured in favor of supporting the
list by voting.
Then, on October 7, the war on Gaza erupted,
followed by aggressive clampdowns from authorities, which silenced all such
discussions since.
Then, on October 7, the war on Gaza erupted, followed by aggressive clampdowns from authorities, which silenced all such discussions since.
Abu Tayyeh cooled to the idea and
withdrew from the number one slot on the list, remaining at number three. He
told Jerusalem Story that he is no longer interested in the elections nor is he
canvassing, but the list he started, which was officially registered before
October 7, 2023, will appear on the ballot on February 27. He told Al Jazeera
that his belief in coexistence has expired, stating, “I’m now convinced that
the Jewish Israeli state wants to ethnically cleanse us,” adding, “They want
the entire land just for them.”
Hout, however, is determined to
participate in the elections. In her electoral program, she says that the goal
of participation is “Because there is an urgent need for an Arab voice in the
municipality.” She persisted and appears at the top of the All Its Residents
list, which has 17 members. The top six slots are reserved for Palestinians,
followed by three Jewish Israelis, then a Palestinian, and so on. Some of the
Jews on the list are from the Meretz party; the vast majority of Palestinians
on the list are citizens.
Hout, who never used the word
‘Palestinian’, says that her list will, “Focus on the necessity of having an
Arab representative to prevent the demolition of homes, to promote the
expansion of building rights, and to provide services to those who live behind
the wall.”
In an exclusive interview on the eve of
the elections, Hout told Jerusalem Story that if she makes it to the City
Council, her number one priority is the situation in Kufr ‘Aqab. She said, “I
have made several visits to Kufr ‘Aqab, and the situation in this community is
extremely troubling, especially in terms of the health of the community.”
Hout noted that the sanitation is
abysmal, the water situation is unhealthy, and there is danger from many
sources to the lives of the residents of Jerusalem who live beyond the wall. “I
will give the communities beyond the wall my top attention, including issues of
easing checkpoints, especially for students trying to get to school and back in
the afternoons.”
Hout is also upset that the legal
appeals, which began even before the events of October 7, 2023, to have polling
stations situated in neighborhoods beyond the wall, or at least at the
checkpoints that control entry to the rest of the city, have failed. “They had
voting booths at the Qalandiya checkpoint during the Knesset elections, so why
can’t they do the same for the municipal elections?”
Likewise, the government found a way to
install 12 polling stations erected in the Gaza Strip and the Lebanese border
for soldiers, so it begs credibility that neighborhoods in its self-proclaimed
capital city could not be provided with the same.
Hout pointed out that residents living in
some of the largest Palestinian voting blocs, including Shu’fat Camp and Kufr
‘Aqab, have to travel and pass through checkpoints just to vote. These days,
due to the war, the checkpoints are only open two hours in the morning, and all
morning commuters jam up for hours trying to get through them, making it almost
impossible.
Additionally, Hout considers the events
of October 7, 2023, in Gaza both negatively and positively. “On the negative
level, we were unable to campaign or raise any money while the other [Jewish]
lists were working all the time. On the positive side, the war on Gaza has
exposed the racist nature of many Israelis, and now we see those racist
ministers like [Itamar] Ben-Gvir [Minister of National Security] are supporting
the Likud candidate for mayor.”
However, a senior Israeli journalist specializing in Jerusalem affairs told Jerusalem Story that he doubts that any Palestinian will be elected. He predicted that even if one or two make it to the 31-member City Council, they will hardly make a difference.
The head of the All Its Residents list
told Jerusalem Story that there is a major stumbling block in East Jerusalem as
to who is qualified to vote. “Young people don’t know that the voting age is 17
and that you don’t need to be a citizen to vote for the Municipal Council and
mayor. There are 250,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites who are qualified to vote in
these elections, and we need at least 7,000 votes to secure a seat on the
31-member city council.”
Hout would not say if she will agree to
be part of any coalition if she or other members of her list are successful on
Tuesday. “I prefer to be in the opposition, but if we are offered a partnership
in any coalition, our condition is that they would help us resolve the many
problems in East Jerusalem, including housing, Arnona, the al-Aqsa Mosque, and
neighborhoods beyond the wall. We also insist that any coalition agreement
should be made public so everyone can see it.”
However, a senior Israeli journalist
specializing in Jerusalem affairs told Jerusalem Story that he doubts that any
Palestinian will be elected. He predicted that even if one or two make it to
the 31-member City Council, they will hardly make a difference.
Apathy in the face of city neglect,
harassment, and racist policies
Palestinian Jerusalemites complain that
Israel and its so-called ‘unified’ city municipality have never cared for them.
Ahmad Saeeda, a young resident of the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood, told Jerusalem
Story, “The Israeli Jerusalem Municipality does not exist in East Jerusalem,
and the only thing the municipality provides to us is not services, but rather
various violations, for the strangest reasons.”
Saeeda shared three violations imposed by
the municipality on his house: fines for ‘not preserving the general appearance
of the city.’ These included graffiti on the wall of his house welcoming the
return of Muslim pilgrims from Mecca in Saudi Arabia after completing the
sacred Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj, a flowerpot located on his front door, and a
water pipe descending from the roof. These violations were issued on the
evening of the municipal elections.
Instead, the community seems to be more responsive to the calls for a continued boycott of the municipal elections, which are intensifying this year in light of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza. The boycott position has been prevalent since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967.
Like Saeeda, few Palestinians in East
Jerusalem have been paying any attention to the municipal elections, unlike in
Jewish West Jerusalem, whose streets, alleys, and house walls are filled with
banners and pictures of Jewish candidates and lists whose affiliation ranges
between religious, right-wing, and secular candidates.
Instead, the community seems to be more
responsive to the calls for a continued boycott of the municipal elections,
which are intensifying this year in light of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza. The
boycott position has been prevalent since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in
1967.
The Jerusalemite activist Hazem Kawasmi,
who runs a Jerusalem-centric WhatsApp group of Palestinian intellectuals in
Jerusalem, told Jerusalem Story that Jerusalemites will continue to have the
same position as in the past. “As in previous years, I expect that there will
be a complete boycott of these elections. This has become especially clear in
the aggressive war against our people in the Gaza Strip, which has exposed the
ugliness and criminality of the Israeli government in all its political and military
components.”
Kawasmi added, “If any Palestinian in
Jerusalem was thinking about participating or running in the municipal
elections before the war, he has now thought better of it, because sitting next
to those right-wing extremists in the Municipal Council will be seen as
participating with them in all their arbitrary occupation measures and their
daily crimes against Jerusalemites, including land confiscations, home
demolitions, widespread arrests of activists and others, and establishing
blatantly racist policies.”
He stressed, “We in Jerusalem will not
improve much if the number of garbage containers increases, while the
demolition of homes, land confiscations, arrests, assassinations, and all the
racist policies that aim to displace us from the city continue. There are many
ways to improve services in the field of infrastructure and the educational and
health sectors without entering the Municipal Council and sitting next to those
criminals.”
Kawasmi continued that the existence of a
joint Arab–Jewish list will not change anything in the matter, because the
Meretz movement, which represents the Jewish side in the list, is already very
weak and divided into two halves. He insisted, “The person nominated to head
the joint bloc is a person far removed from the concerns of Jerusalemites and
society. She is completely unqualified to represent the people of Jerusalem in
anything.”
Moreover, Director of the Jerusalem
Center for Social and Economic Rights (JCSER) and a prominent Palestinian
figure in the city, Ziad Hammouri, told Jerusalem Story that there is no doubt
that the idea of participating in municipal elections is rejected.
Hammouri stated, “Whether from the
political or religious level, today, in this circumstance that we live in, it
is not possible to accept the idea of any Palestinian participating in the
municipality. We see this great extremism, killing, and all the issues related
to Jerusalem. It is not possible to participate at all. Everyone who
participates in the elections as a candidate will be an outcast on the
national, religious, and social levels.”
Hammouri further noted that there is a
collective opposition regarding those who cast their votes in these municipal
elections. “Everyone who participates in the elections as a candidate will be
an outcast on the national, religious, and social levels.”
A 35-year-old Palestinian Jerusalemite
who works in one of the municipality institutions, but declined to reveal his
name for fear of reprisals, told Jerusalem Story that whoever decides to cast a
vote on Tuesday will do so away from people’s eyes, in the evening hours. He
said, “As in previous municipal elections, I voted in the evening hours just
before the polls closed, for fear that people would see me. I was forced to
vote so as not to lose my job,” adding, “Israeli officials were keen to hint to
us about the necessity of participating in the elections if we wanted to keep
our jobs. However, this year, I do not think the situation will be much
different.”
Palestinian neighborhoods in the city can lack street addresses and adequate forms of mail delivery, making the whole approach of mailing voter notifications highly problematic in this case. This situation has been even more problematic since the checkpoints were closed and then only partially reopened when the war started in October.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the
number of Arab and Jewish voters in Jerusalem reached 690,707.11 Of those,
about 250,000 East Jerusalem residents have the right to vote.
Barriers to voting: few polling stations
in Palestinian neighborhoods; nonexistent voter notificationsHowever, those Palestinians who wish to
vote to improve their services will not have an easy time because only a few
polling stations are located in Palestinian neighborhoods. The city has decided
not to place any ballot boxes in municipal areas behind the Separation Wall for
‘security reasons,’ even though the Palestinian residents of those areas are
the most affected in terms of the services that badly need improvement, given
that the municipality all but abandoned them years ago.
Official data are nonexistent, but unofficial
estimates count at least 150,000 Palestinians living in these neighborhoods,
meaning that they are roughly one-third of the city’s Palestinian population.
The All Its Residents list filed a
petition in the district court on Sunday against the Interior Ministry and the
National Commissioner for Elections, claiming that no voter notices were mailed
to Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
The petition stated, “It is impossible to
ignore the difficult feeling of the residents of East Jerusalem that voter
notices are not sent to them deliberately to make it difficult for them to
exercise their elementary right to vote for the municipality.”
Palestinian neighborhoods in the city can
lack street addresses and adequate forms of mail delivery, making the whole
approach of mailing voter notifications highly problematic in this case. This
situation has been even more problematic since the checkpoints were closed and
then only partially reopened when the war started in October.
Official call for boycott
The war on Gaza strengthened those
opposed to participating in the municipal elections, as global interest grew in
the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state with East
Jerusalem as its capital as called for by International Law.
On Sunday, February 25, 2024, the
Palestinian National Council (PNC) issued an announcement calling for a boycott
of the list and its people.
It read, “The participation of a
Palestinian list in the occupation’s municipal elections in Jerusalem is a
shameless normalization that serves the plans of the occupation. The Israeli
occupation municipality in Jerusalem is committing crimes against our people,
including the demolition of houses and the intensive construction of illegal
settlements, as part of a plan for the gradually forced displacement of
Palestinians, therefore one should not participate in the elections since it is
a ‘fig tree’ in the process, and being marketed as democratic.”
Hout, responded: “We do not flinch or
give in to threats and attempts to terrorize us. The Arab public in East
Jerusalem wants change and understands that the way to achieve it and correct
discrimination is through representation.”
Those boycotting the elections say that
in the event of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, any
effective participation in the elections for an Israeli ‘unified’ city will
weaken the demand for Jerusalem to be redivided or even under any kind of
Palestinian sovereignty.
This essay was published first by Jerusalem Story on February 26, 2024.
Disclaimer:
Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Jordan News’ point of view.
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