The controversy over whether an Arab or Jew is to become mayor of Jerusalem was further complicated today when all Arab municipal councillors submitted their resignation. Although, according to customary procedure, their resignations should have been submitted to Acting Mayor Daniel Auster, Jew, the Arabs submitted them to Jerusalem District Commissioner James Pollock.
The resignations, according to the local press, were probably a result of the fact that the Palestine Government, according to reliable reports, had decided to invoke the section of the municipal charter which provides that if a councillor has failed to attend sessions of the council for more than three months, his membership automatically ceases. The Arabs have been boycotting the council since March when the mayoralty issue first arose.
It is predicted here that the council will shortly be dissolved by the Palestine Government and a municipal committee named to fulfil its functions.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
