Jerusalem Jewish Press Protests Gov’t Plans for City Elections

The government is completing preparations for the elections to be held in the municipality here, and according to a report the ballots will be cast in January.

According to the newspaper, Doar Hayom, Hebrew daily, the city is to have twelve electoral wards, four of which will be Jewish, two Moslem-Christian, two Moslem-Christian of non-Arab race, one purely Moslem, one purely Christian and two mixed wards consisting of Moslems, Christians and Jews.

“This arrangement,” declares one article published in Doar Hayom, “deprives the Jews of a majority or of suitable representation in the municipality. One or two non-Jewish Englishmen will represent the foreign residents, as in the mixed municipality in Alexandria, Egypt.”

Haaretz reports that Ragheb Nashashibi will not remain Mayor of Jerusalem but will be replaced by an Englishman appointed by the High Commissioner. The appointee will probably be one of the senior officials shortly due for retirement as having passed the age limit. The British Mayor will have a Moslem and Jew as vice-mayors.

Such a step, it is felt, “will solve the pressing problem of the municipal administration in Jerusalem, and do away with the present system of graft and corruption which have prevailed under the Moslem-Christian civic regime.”

Davar continued: “An attempt to make the Jewish majority into a minority is the substance of this change in organization of election wards.” It deplores the fact that there will be four Jewish wards, six Moslem and Christian wards and two mixed wards.

“There has been no consultation with Jewish representatives on this unique form of polling,” says Doar Hayom. “It appears that the government has used the opportunity of the absence of Jewish councillors at the Municipality to foist on the public a new election scheme.”