The mayor of the City of Jerusalem is head of the executive branch of the political system in Jerusalem. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within Jerusalem. The term of office is five years.
The mayor's office is located in Safra Square; it has jurisdiction over all the city's neighborhoods. The mayor appoints many officials, including deputy mayors and city departments directors.
History The Jerusalem City Council was established in 1863 during the rule of the Ottoman Empire. From 1948 to 1967 two municipalities operated in the city: an Israeli municipality provided services to the western neighborhoods of the city and a Jordanian municipality to its eastern parts.
By 1840, the Jewish community constituted the largest single religious group in the city.Grenville, J. A History of the World from the 20th to the 21st Century; Routledge, 2005. pg. 456. From the 1880s onward, the Jews constituted the majority within the city.Weiner, J. R. Is Jerusalem Being "Judaized"? , Jewish Political Studies Review 15:1–2 (Spring 2003), citing Schmelz, U.O. "Modern Jerusalem's Demographic Evolution," Jewish Population Studies 20 (1987):9 However, it was only in 1937, under the British Mandate, that the first Jewish mayor was appointed. Since 1948 every mayor has been Jewish.
Prior to a 1975 national law change, mayors were chosen by the city council (which was elected in a closed list proportional representation system).
Since 1975 law change, mayors have been directly elected in a two round system. Under this system, if no candidate receives at least 40% of the vote in the first round, a runoff election is held between the top-two finishers. The first municipal election to be held under the new law of direct elections for mayor was held in 1978.
List of mayors (1845–present) Ottoman Empire (1845–1920) Mayor Term start Term end 1 Kıbrıslı Mehmed Emin Pasha 1845 1847 2 Ahmad Agha Duzdar Al-Asali 1848 1863 3 Abdelrahman al-Dajani 1863 1867 4 Rafadulo Astiriyadis Effendi (acting) 5 Abdelrahman al-Dajani 1867 1869 6 Mūsā Faydī al-'Alamī 7 Abd al-Salām Paşa al Ḥusaynī 1869 1870 8 Yousef Al-Khalidi 1870 1876 9 Abd al-Qādir al-Khalīlī Abū l-Hudā / 'Umar 'Abd al-Salām Paşa al Ḥusaynī / Salīm Shākir al-Ḥusaynī. 1876 1877 10 Shaḥāda Faydallāh al-'Alamī 11 Rafadulo Astiriyadis Effendi (acting) 1877 1878 12 Yousef Al-Khalidi 1878 1879 13 Mūsā Faydī al-'Alamī 1879 1881 14 Ḥusayn Salīm Paşa al Ḥusaynī 1882 1897 15 Yaseen al-Khalidi 1897 1899 16 Yousef Al-Khalidi 1899 1906 17 Faidi al-Alami 1906 1909 18 Hussein al-Husayni 1909 1917 19 Aref al-Dajani 1917 1918 20 Musa Kazim al-Husayni 1918 1920
Mandatory Palestine (1920–1948) Mayor Term start Term end Party 21 Raghib al-Nashashibi 19201935National Defence Party 22 Husayn al-Khalidi19351937Reform Party 23Daniel Auster 19371938General Zionists 24Mustafa al-Khalidi 19381944†National Defence Party (23)Daniel Auster19441945General Zionists -City Council committee19451948Various
Divided Jerusalem (1948–1967) Mayors of West Jerusalem (Israel) Mayor of Jerusalem Took office Left office Party Coalition 1 Daniel Auster 1948 1950 General Zionists General Zionists 2 Zalman Shragai 10 January 1951 17 August 1952 Hapoel HaMizrachi United Religious Front 3 Yitzhak Kariv 25 September 1952 April 1955 Mizrachi United Religious Front 4 Gershon Agron 7 September 1955 1 November 1959 Mapai Mapai – Ahdut HaAvoda 5 Mordechai Ish-Shalom 1 November 1959 29 November 1965 Mapai Mapai – Ahdut HaAvoda 6 Teddy Kollek 29 November 1965 29 June 1967 Rafi AlignmentMayors of East Jerusalem (Jordanian administration of the West Bank) Mayor of East Jerusalem Took office Left office Party 1 Anwar Khatib 1948 1950 Independent 2 Aref al-Aref 1950 1951 Independent 3 Hannah Atallah 1951 12 March 1952 Independent 4 Omar Wa'ari 12 March 1952 1955 Independent - City Council committee 1955 1957 Independents 5 Ruhi al-Khatib 1957 29 June 1967 Independent
Reunited Jerusalem (1967–present) Mayor of Jerusalem Took office Left office Party Coalition 24 Teddy Kollek 29 June 1967 2 November 1993 Rafi (1967-1968)Labor (from 1968) Alignment1967 – 1969 Labor – Alignment – Mapam1969 – 1993 25 Ehud Olmert 2 November 1993 16 February 2003 Likud Likud 26 Uri Lupolianski 16 February 2003 11 November 2008 Degel HaTorah United Torah Judaism 27 Nir Barkat 11 November 2008 4 December 2018 Independent Likud – Independents 28 Moshe Lion 4 December 2018 Incumbent Independent Independent
Titular Mayors of East Jerusalem (1967–present)
The office of Mayor of East Jerusalem was dissolved in 1967 after the Six-Day War and it has been titular since then.
Titular Mayor of East Jerusalem Took office Left office Party - Ruhi al-Khatib 29 June 1967 5 July 1994† Independent - Amin al-Majaj 1994 2 January 1999† Independent - Zaki al-Ghul 1999 28 April 2019† Independent
See also Mutasarrıfs of Jerusalem Mayoral elections in Jerusalem History of Jerusalem List of people from Jerusalem Timeline of Jerusalem
Notes
References
External links Mayors of Jerusalem Jerusalem at World Statesmen Mayors of Jerusalem at City of Jerusalem