The occupation municipality refuses to grant building permits to Jerusalemites (Al Jazeera)

Occupied Jerusalem -

Hours after the opening of ballot boxes for the municipal and local council elections in Israel scheduled for Tuesday, all eyes are on the Jerusalem Municipality and its programs towards the city.

The debate rages - as before every election round - about the participation of Jerusalemites in it from the legal, popular and national aspects, as it has become common knowledge that the Palestinians in the city are boycotting these elections, and their voting percentage at its best did not exceed the 2% barrier out of 250,000 entitled to vote.

In an interview conducted by the Ynet website, affiliated with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, with the three candidates for the position of mayor of the occupation city of Jerusalem, the current mayor, Moshe Leon, said about his achievements in the recent period, “We were able to triple the rate of granting building permits, and we are working to provide apartments in City of all sizes and price levels.

These statements are matched on the ground by further restrictions on Palestinian construction in the neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, in addition to more demolitions, as official Palestinian data indicated that 292 demolition operations were carried out in the Jerusalem Governorate during 2023, including 73 facilities whose owners were forced to demolish them with their own hands to avoid costly expenses. An exorbitant fee imposed by the municipality if it carries out the demolition.

Therefore, the tripling of the rate of granting building permits that Leon talks about is related to the construction of housing units for settlement neighborhoods, in addition to negligible crumbs of licenses for the benefit of Jerusalemites whose files have been suspended and work on them has stopped in the various municipal departments since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October. the past.

Candidate Moshe Leon, the current mayor, follows a policy of soft penetration among Jerusalemites (Israeli press)

Contain and narrow

The current mayor is following a policy of soft penetration into Jerusalemites instead of the iron-fist policy followed by the former mayor of the occupation, Nir Barkat. Leon is trying to “contain” Jerusalemites by integrating them into Israeli institutions and the labor market, especially the high-precision technology industry and the establishment of startup companies.

The total budgets allocated to the employment sector and economic development of East Jerusalem in the “Five-Year Plan 2024-2028” amounted to only 506 million shekels ($139 million) out of 3.2 billion shekels (about 844 billion dollars).

In an article published on the Zaman Israel news website entitled “Moshe Leon’s victory is guaranteed...the city’s difficult future is also guaranteed,” Shalom Yerushalmi wrote that unlike other mayors, Leon never interfered in national and political issues related to the international status of Jerusalem.

The Israeli writer added in his article that “Leon’s performance and contribution to Jerusalem are subject to dispute and will be judged,” explaining that he “avoided the most explosive fires in the city (..) Leon never ascended to the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa) and did not express his opinion regarding the number of Muslims who They must be there during the month of Ramadan, so as not to raise controversy over his positions, whatever they may be,” and he decided to call himself in the elections “the man who takes care of everyone.”

The Jerusalem Municipal Council includes 31 members, 15 of whom today belong to the Haredi parties. According to the “Zaman Israel” website, this means controlling the planning, construction, finance, education and all other committees, and this will encourage the negative migration of secularists.

The Israeli Municipality in Jerusalem pursues unlicensed construction (Al Jazeera)

Israelization and Judaization

Secular candidate Yossi Havelio, head of the Jerusalem Union, told Ynet: “We have preserved the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and its Israeli, international and liberal character must be preserved. Only in this way will the Jerusalem municipality be able to care for all its residents. We will not exclude anyone on the condition of their acceptance.” “Jerusalem is a liberal Israeli city and we reject racism, ignorance and hatred.”

Haim Epstein, another mayoral candidate, told Ynet when asked about the most pressing issue in Jerusalem, “The entry of Muslims into the Holy Mosque during Ramadan... For God’s sake, prevent the Jews from ascending to the Temple Mount, as it is the real explosive material in the city, especially since Jewish law prohibits that.” ".

The "Zaman Israel" website touched on the existence of an extreme right-wing list headed by Deputy Mayor Aryeh King and supported by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and that it is possible to bet on an increase in the power of Ben Gvir and King in the city council "with the decline in the feeling of personal security and success in the war on terrorism." , according to their expression.

Voters vote in municipal elections in two ballot boxes, one to choose the mayor and the other to choose the president and members of the council from lists. In the event that a list obtains a majority, its president is the president of the municipal council.

King does not hide in his election propaganda that he wants to “preserve the Jewish majority in Jerusalem,” and wrote on his Facebook page, “At the end of the month you will have the opportunity to determine the character and identity of Jerusalem for the next five years. I would like to know what is most important to you: ensuring the safety of the residents.” Or reducing housing prices, creating job opportunities, or preserving the Jewish majority in Jerusalem?

King recently intensified his incitement campaigns against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem, and against the sound of the call to prayer that the city’s mosques chanted. He also incited against the Jerusalemites, saying, “We must realize that the Arabs of Jerusalem, like the Arabs of Gaza, are made up of extremist Islamists, a Christian minority, and a silent majority that supports Terrorism quietly... These accursed terrorists and their families must be expelled from Israel.”

Rasem Obaidat: Every Palestinian or Jerusalemite running or elected recognizes that Jerusalem is the capital of the occupying state (Al Jazeera)

A mistake and a crime

On the Jerusalem level, the young Arab woman, Sondos Al-Hout, despite the strong opposition of Jerusalemites, is seeking to enter the municipal council under the slogan “all its residents,” and says that she wants to achieve equality and justice for the Jerusalemite population, which is what writer and political analyst Rasem Obaidat responded to - in his interview with Al Jazeera Net - saying Jerusalem is an occupied city according to international law, so any preference for the demands over the political side is a big mistake and a crime.”

He added that every Palestinian or Jerusalemite who runs or is elected recognizes that Jerusalem is the capital of the occupying state and violates the resolutions of international legitimacy.

Obaidat added that all the mayors of the occupation in Jerusalem aim to transform it into a Jewish city, to tighten control over it and to exert more pressure, expel and displace Jerusalemites by expanding settlements, implementing more demolitions, and restricting every detail of daily life.

It is noteworthy that the Supreme Fatwa Council in Palestine issued a fatwa prohibiting participation or candidacy in the occupation municipal elections in Jerusalem, because this is a clear and explicit violation of Sharia law and the national consensus that rejects this participation, and because the municipality is considered an arm of the occupation authorities in implementing settlement and Judaization projects in the city, and restricting citizens’ livelihoods. .

Source: Al Jazeera