Mayor of Ramallah
| Mayor of Ramallah | |
|---|---|
| رئيس بلدية رام الله | |
Incumbent since 2022Issa Qassis | |
| Term length | 4 years, renewable once consecutively |
| Formation | 1908 |
| First holder | Elias al-Dabini |
The Mayor of Ramallah (Arabic: رئيس بلدية رام الله) is the head of government of the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
History
[edit]In 1972, Karim Khalaf was elected Mayor of Ramallah, having previously served as the city's District Attorney. Khalaf adopted largely moderate stances concerning Israel; he supported a policy of non-cooperation with the military occupation of the West Bank, but was among the first Palestinian public officials to advocate for a two-state solution. In his early years as mayor, Khalaf was reluctant to deal with Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization. However, when he faced re-election in 1976, a split had begun to form between "pro-PLO" and "anti-PLO" politicians in the Palestinian municipalities. At this time, Khalaf began coordinating contacts with the PLO and promoting the group. This change in attitude allowed Khalaf to win a second term; in a year when many officials in the West Bank were voted out of office for not adequately backing Arafat and his aims. He won a third term in 1980. Khalaf was one of the most significant Palestinian mayors along with Hilmi Hanoun, mayor of Tulkarm, and Fahd Qawasmeh, mayor of Hebron.[1]
In December 2005, local elections were held in Ramallah in which candidates from three different factions competed for a four-year term on the fifteen-seat municipal council. The council elected Janet Mikhail as mayor, the first woman to hold the post.[2][3]
Mousa Hadid served as the mayor of Ramallah from 2012 to 2022.[4] On 6 April 2022, Issa Qassis was appointed to be the new mayor of Ramallah.[5]
List
[edit]- Mayor of Ramallah (1908–present) [6]
Political party: Independent Fatah
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) |
Term of office | Political party | Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| Ottoman Palestine and OETA (1906–1920) | |||||||
| 1 | Elias al-Dabini | 1908 | 1921 | 13 years | Independent | ||
| Mandatory Palestine (1920–1948) | |||||||
| 2 | Youssef Darbas | 1921 | 1922 | 1 year | Independent | ||
| 3 | Rotational Government | 1922 | 1927 | 5 years | Independent | ||
| 4 | Musa Khalil Musa | 1927 | 1932 | 5 years | Independent | ||
| 5 | Saadallah al-Qassis | 1932 | 1946 | 4 years | Independent | ||
| 6 | Municipal Committee (Acting) | 1937 | 1940 | 3 years | Independent | ||
| 7 | Salem al-Zaarour | 1940 | 1943 | 3 years | Independent | ||
| 8 | Youssef Qaddoura | 1943 | 1947 | 4 years | Independent | ||
| 9 | Khalil Salah | 1947 | 1951 | 4 years | Independent | ||
| Jordanian rule (1950–1967) | |||||||
| 10 | Jalil Badran | 1951 | 1956 | 5 years | Independent | ||
| 11 | Municipal Committee (Acting) | 1956 | 1957 | 1 year | Independent | ||
| 12 | Jalil Harb (Committee) | 1957 | 1958 | 1 year | Independent | ||
| 13 | Municipal Committee (Acting) | 1958 | 1959 | 1 year | Independent | ||
| 14 | Jalil Harb (Committee) | 1959 | 1960 | 1 year | Independent | ||
| 15 | Jalil Harb | 1960 | 1962 | 2 years | Independent | ||
| 16 | Paul Saba | 1962 | 1964 | 2 years | Independent | ||
| 17 | Nadeem al-Zaro (1931–2014) |
1964 | 1967 | 3 years | Independent | ||
| Israeli military and civil administration (1967–1994) | |||||||
| 17 | Nadeem al-Zaro (1931–2014) |
1967 | 1969 | 2 years | Independent | ||
| 18 | Khalil Musa Khalil | 1969 | 1972 | 3 years | Independent | ||
| 19 | Karim Khalaf (1937–1985) |
1972 | 1982 | 10 years | Independent | ||
| 20 | Khalil Musa Khalil | 1988 | 1996 | 6 years | Independent | ||
| Palestinian Authority (1996–present) | |||||||
| 21 | Issa Ziada | 1996 | 1999 | 3 years | Independent | ||
| 22 | Ayoub Rabah | 1999 | 2005 | 6 years | Independent | ||
| 23 | 
|
Janet Mikhail (1945–) |
2005 | 2012 | 7 years | Independent | 2004–05 |
| 24 | 
|
Mousa Hadid (1965–) |
2012 | 2022 | 10 years | Fatah | 2012–13 2017 |
| 25 | Issa Qassis | 2022 | 2026 | 4 years | Independent | ||
See also
[edit]Notes and references
[edit]- ^ Michael Sfard (2018). The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine, and the Legal Battle for Human Rights. Translated by Maya Johston. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-250-12271-1.
- ^ "Khaleejtimes.com". Khaleejtimes.com. 2 January 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ Karin Laub (1 January 2006). "Ocala.com". Ocala.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ "Musa Hadid (Deputy Chairman)". ECFR. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "عيسى قسيس رئيسا لبلدية رام الله خلفا لموسى حديد" [Issa Qassis appointed mayor of Ramallah, succeeding Mousa Hadid] (in Arabic). Ramallah News. 6 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025.
- ^ "رؤساء مجالس بلدية رام الله منذ تأسيس البلدية حتى الوقت الحاضر" [Heads of Ramallah Municipal Councils from the establishment of the municipality to the present] (in Arabic). Municipality of Ramallah. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025.