Mayors, Municipalities and Local Councils to be Selected in Tuesday’s Election in Israel

Candidates for mayor and city councils throughout Israel have one day remaining in which to shore-up whatever support they will realize in Tuesday’s elections. In Jerusalem, where some 300,000 Palestinian Arab residents could be voting for the city council –although not for mayor — participation by the Palestinian community is not expected to surpass the 1 percent who voted in the last election in 2013. Several Arab candidates are defying the majority and accepting the physical threats being lodged against them, none of whose candidacies appear to be resonating. The primary concern on the city council level is the inequality in funding Arab vs. Israeli neighborhoods and the provision of services to the various population sectors. Ramadan Dabash, 51, who was born the same year that Israel conquered east Jerusalem and annexed it to the west side, is trying to win a seat but ironically, his support is coming from Jewish Israelis. [see or listen to exclusive interview with Dabash by The Media Line’s Felice Friedson — https://themedialine.org/more-from-the-media-line/arab-israeli-fights-for-jerusalem-city-council-seat-with-video ^[1]/]