What Might Happen if Palestinians Start Voting in Jerusalem Municipal Elections? Gaming the End of the Electoral Boycott and the Future of City Politics

Abstract

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Limited urban citizenship: the case of community councils in East Jerusalem

“…Although permitted to vote in municipal elections, most Palestinian residents boycott these local elections to avoid recognizing Israel's legitimacy (Blake et al 2018). In a reality where most East Jerusalemites are not citizens and must continuously prove their eligibility to live in the city, and where they face home demolitions and occasional violence, issues of trust and legitimacy are paramount to the CCs success, yet are further complicated by a lack of established and unanimous political leadership in East Jerusalem (El Kurd 2018).…”

Leadership repertoire and political engagement in a divided city: The case of East Jerusalem

“…However, some Palestinians engage in politics at the sub-municipal and community level and other activities beyond elections, like voting for the community council board, approaching city institutions or protesting them and supporting local social enterprises (Avni et al, 2022). Nevertheless, voting in elections remains normatively inappropriate, forbidden by the Palestinian Authority, and rare (approximately 1%; Blake et al, 2018). This paper aims to unpack and understand attitudes about such engagement with community leadership in Jerusalem.…”

“…Nevertheless, at most, actual election participation is 1% (Blake et al, 2018). This normative contrast in Jerusalem is puzzling and calls for an inquiry.…”

Political Divide, Weak Property Rights, and Infrastructure Provision: An Empirical Examination of Takings Decisions in Jerusalem

“…Concomitantly, ever since 1967, the Palestinians of East Jerusalem have refused to participate in local elections despite their power to do so 3 . Over the years, their voter turnout has been around 1 percent, and there has never been a Palestinian city council member (Blake et al 2018). Notwithstanding, the Jerusalem Municipality functions as the only local government on the ground.…”

“…In addition, the Palestinian communities have limited political influence. Most East Jerusalem Palestinians lack citizenship and therefore do not exercise their municipal voting power, and they generally avoid alternative forms of asserting their collective rights against the local government, such as political protest (Blake et al 2018). They are thus "practically invisible to the Israeli planning authorities," according to some (Rosen and Charney 2016, 169), and, as others argue, subject to dispossession and displacement through a complex mechanism hidden behind seemingly innocuous planning laws and mundane bureaucratic procedures (Atuahene 2016b, 190;Braverman 2007).…”