Nablus mayor resigns over governor’s ‘meddling’ in municipal affairs
In an unprecedented move, the mayor of Nablus, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, on Wednesday announced his resignation after accusing the Palestinian Authority governor of the city of meddling in municipal affairs.
The resignation underlines tensions that have long existed between Palestinian mayors and governors over municipal, civil and security authorities.
The mayor, Samih Tabila, said he decided to resign after Nablus Governor Ibrahim Ramadan granted permission to a construction company to pour concrete on a roof of a building constructed without a license from the municipality.
Two members of the Nablus municipal council, Saher Dweikat and Samah al-Kharouf, also submitted their resignations in protest of the governor’s action.
The mayor and the municipal council members accused the governor of infringement of the municipality’s authority.
Tabila, a former PA Minister of Transportation and Communication, said in a statement that he was quitting one year after assuming office as mayor on behalf of the ruling Fatah faction. He said that the municipality had determined that the building in the Rafidia neighborhood of Nablus had been constructed without a proper license.
Since the establishment of the PA in 1994, the Palestinian governors are personally appointed by the PA president. The West Bank is divided into 11 governorates (Nablus, Qalqilya, Tubas, Salfit, Tulkarm, Jenin, Jericho, Ramallah, Hebron and Jerusalem). Each governorate has its own governor, who reports directly to the PA president and enjoys extensive authority and influence.
A statement issued by the Nablus Municipality said that the governor’s action “sets a dangerous precedent and constitutes a blatant assault on the powers of the municipality, which has the exclusive right to issue construction permits within its boundaries.”
The municipality expressed concern that the governor’s action would encourage others to “encroach on public property to serve their personal interests, paving the way for destructive chaos in our city.”
The governor, Ramadan, said in response that he had acted in accordance with the law, adding that he was ready to present the legal justifications upon which his decision was based to any committee set up to look into the dispute with the municipality.
A Palestinian businessman from Nablus told The Jerusalem Post that the resignation of the mayor was
“an alarming sign of financial and administrative corruption in Palestinian governorates.”
He said that this was the first incident where a mayor submitted his resignation because of “illegal actions” committed by a governor.
“This case shows that if you are a wealthy businessman with strong connections, then you can violate the law and do whatever you want,” the businessman added.