Apartheid? Arab Israeli appointed deputy mayor of Tel Aviv

Badran is the second Arab citizen of Tel Aviv to hold the position, after Rifat Turk, who was appointed in 2003.

The Algemeiner

The municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa has appointed Amir Badran as deputy mayor, making him the second Arab citizen to hold the post in Israel’s second-largest city.

Badran, 54, has served on the Tel Aviv City Council for a decade and is chairman of the Arab-Jewish party Hadash’s local branch. His appointment came after Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai reached a municipal coalition agreement with part of the opposition that included, among other measures, commitments to promote several projects in Jaffa, the city’s historically Arab district and home to much of its Arab population.

“A surprising and joyful announcement: As of today, I am the Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Yes, an Arab Deputy Mayor in one of the largest cities in the country,” Badran posted on X on Monday, using the Hebrew name for Jaffa.

“Surprising? Maybe. But it didn’t happen overnight,” he continued. “This is the result of years of public action, of joint struggle, and of steadfast belief in Jewish-Arab partnership, in equality, and in a different kind of politics.”

Badran echoed his message of Arab-Jewish unity the following day.

“The decision-making table at the Tel Aviv Municipality is Jewish-Arab!” he posted. “Together, Arabs and Jews will bring up the painful issues and promote action for all the residents of the city in Jaffa and Tel Aviv.”

Outgoing Hadash leader Ayman Odeh congratulated Badran and expressed appreciation for Huldai.

“I remember that about two and a half years ago, I spoke with him [Huldai] about the matter, and he told me: ‘There will be an Arab Deputy Mayor,’” Odeh posted. “He kept his word. And when we met today, he told me: ‘This is the most natural thing.’”

Badran is the second Arab citizen of Tel Aviv to hold the position, after Rifat Turk, who was appointed in 2003.

Some analysts and commentators were quick to note that Badran’s appointment undermines the erroneous notion perpetrated by some NGOs and foreign governments that the Jewish state runs an apartheid system.

“Heads [exploding] on Apartheid nonsense,” posted Mark Dubowitz, chief executive officer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a US think tank.

Arabs comprise about 21 percent of Israel’s population, according to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics. Despite claims by anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists that Israel is an apartheid state, Arabs enjoy the same democratic rights under law as fellow Jewish citizens. Arab Israelis regularly serve in parliament and on the country’s highest court.