| 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
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
- 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
Notes and references
- ^ 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.
