The Jerusalem Post reports that the PA is threatening Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem not to particpate in Tuesday's municipal elections. Indeed, eligible Arab voters have boycotted the ballots for years.
It's facetious for eligible Palestinians to boycott elections on principle, then claim they're discriminated against in city hall, long-term planning, budget allocations, etc.
So here's a look at the numbers, based on Jerusalem Post reports 1 and 2, and a report by Justus Reid Weiner worth reading in it's own right:
725,000 Estimated overall population of Jerusalem.
527,627 Overall Jerusalem residents eligible to vote next week.
250,000 Estimated number of Arabs eligible to vote next week.
95 percent Eligible Arabs who have boycotted previous elections.
0 Arab representatives on city council.
2 Instances in the last 35 years where an Arab ran for mayor.
31 Total city council seats.
25 percent Council seats under Arab control had they participated as a unified bloc in 2003.
13 Parties fielding candidates for the council.
8,000 Minimum threshold of votes necessary for a party to receive a council seat.
4 Mayoral candidates.
40 percent Minimum threshold of votes the leading mayoral candidate must receive to win and avoid a runoff.
As the late Tip O'Neill said, "All politics is local."
