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 (1908–present) Political party:
PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical partyElection 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 1964 1967 3 years Independent Israeli military and civil administration (1967–1994) 17 Nadeem al-Zaro 1967 1969 2 years Independent 18 Khalil Musa Khalil 1969 1972 3 years Independent 19 Karim Khalaf 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 2005 2012 7 years Independent 2004–05 24 Mousa Hadid 2012 2022 10 years Fatah 2012–132017 25 Issa Qassis 2022 2026 4 years Independent
See also History of the West Bank History of Ramallah
Notes and references