Further complications in the municipal council arose today when it became known that Daniel Auster, the Jewish vice-mayor, may not automatically replace Mayor Khalidi during his absence. At the same time Arab leaders submitted a demand that a third Christian Arab be nominated as additional vice-mayor in order to create a non-Jewish majority.
The demand for a third vice-mayor was submitted to District Commissioner of Jerusalem Campbell today, despite the fact that the Palestine government has officially promised that there would be two vice-mayors, one a Jew and one an Arab. It is predicted here that the government will reject the Arab demand.
A tacit agreement between the Jews and the Arabs that Auster was automatically to replace Mayor Khalidi during his absence has been ignored in the new by-laws referring to the mayoralty. These by-laws reserve to the High Commissioner the right to nominate a deputy during the absence of the Mayor.
The question as to whether Auster should occupy a special office in the municipal building has also not been settled and has created serious dissatisfaction among the Jews, in view of the fact that the vice-mayor’s status has not yet been completely clarified.
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