The appointment of a Jewish mayor for an Israeli Arab town has angered residents. Israeli Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit installed Shlomo Tuizer, the former head of the Beersheba prison, as mayor of Taibeh after taking control of the municipality due to gross financial mismanagement. The town’s deficit reportedly has surpassed $45 million. Sheetrit dismissed the mayor of Taibeh and four other Arab towns last week over objections by some Arab citizens and Knesset members. Ahmed Tibi, an Arab resident of Taibeh and a Knesset member, called the choice of Tuizer “bizarre,” saying it was an underhanded plan to “set up a job for Shlomo Tuizer,” whom Tibi described as a “right-wing activist,” according to The Jerusalem Post. Residents and Arab parliamentarians protested Tuizer’s appointment in a mass rally in the town center on Saturday night.
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