Israelis Head to the Polls To Vote in Municipal Elections
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat Image by Getty Images
The battle for the mayor of Jerusalem will be among the closely watched races as Israelis go to the polls in municipal races.
Voting is being held Tuesday for mayor and local offices in nearly 200 cities and towns in Israel.
In Jerusalem, the incumbent Nir Barkat is being challenged by official Likud candidate Moshe Lion, though Lion is one of the few official Likud candidates for mayor that has not received the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lion has been endorsed by the haredi Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties.
In Tel Aviv, longtime incumbent Ron Huldai is being challenged by the left-wing Meretz Knesset member Nitzan Horowitz, who if elected would become the first gay mayor in Israel.
In the central city of Ra’anana, popular former mayor Ze’ev Bielski, who served as a Knesset lawmaker for the Kadima party between 2009 and 2013 and also chaired the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, is again on the ballot for mayor.
A contentious race for mayor is being fought in Beit Shemesh, the site of several conflicts between haredi Orthodox and secular residents, between the Shas-backed incumbent Moshe Abutbul and independent candidate Eli Cohen, who also is backed by the Jewish Home party.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
