Mayor of Ramallah

The Mayor of Ramallah is the head of government of the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

History

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.
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.
Mousa Hadid served as the mayor of Ramallah from 2012 to 2022. On 6 April 2022, Issa Qassis was appointed to be the new mayor of Ramallah.

List

; Mayor of Ramallah
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