Jerusalem Chooses Secular Mayor
Nir Barkat, a former high-tech business executive, has been elected Jerusalem’s mayor and is “determined to save the city.” He has brought new hope, because he is a secularist and not Orthodox, unlike his predecessor.
He was born in Jerusalem and has degrees in computer science and business management. He later founded the BRM group, which was a pioneer of anti-virus software. He joined the Jerusalem City Council in 2003, where he led the opposition. He also founded Startup Jerusalem, which seeks to promote private investment in the city, and New Spirit, which supports students in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is proclaimed as Israel’s capital although other countries refuse to recognize it over Palestinians’ competing claims. However, it is also one of Israel’s poorest cities and is experiencing desertion by many young, secular residents. Jerusalem is also facing a period of job shortages and soaring housing prices. Secular communities have been worried about the expansion of ultra-Orthodox communities into new neighborhoods.
The former mayor, Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, was widely perceived to favor the ultra-Orthodox Jews of Jerusalem, as he was part of this group.
Nir Barkat has promised to draw investment back to the city and build it up as an international tourist destination. He has said he hopes to build more Jewish homes in Palestinian and Israeli-Arab areas in the east of the city - occupied by Israel in 1967 - and is adamant that the city should not be divided.
The possible division of Jerusalem under a future peace deal is one of the most explosive issues in peace talks. It was over this issue that Barkat left the centrist Kadima party that is currently engaged in discussions with the Palestinian Authority.
Jamie Hughes
