Attorney Amir Badran, a Tel Aviv city council member and chair of the Hadash branch in Jaffa, was elected as the first Hadash representative to serve as Deputy Mayor on Monday (June 22). His appointment follows an agreement with Mayor Ron Huldai to prevent municipal funding for entities promoting racism or discrimination, while Badran continues his focus on Arab housing rights and opposition to the war in Gaza and Lebanon
Tel Aviv-Jaffa City Council Member Amir Badran speaks at the first protest against the extermination war in Gaza, held in Tel Aviv, November 2023. (Photo: Zo Haderekh)
Badran is an active figure in housing struggles for the Arab population in Jaffa, fighting against the eviction of residents and promoting the regulation of their land rights. He participated in protests against the far-right government’s judicial overhaul and has led demonstrations in Jaffa against the occupation and the war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Badran’s appointment became possible upon the conclusion of the term of Chaim Goren from the “Maaminim” faction, the local branch of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s racist Religious Zionist Party. The appointment signals a shift in the balance of power within the City Council and reflects a strengthening of voices calling for partnership, equality and pluralism in the city. Under the agreement, Badran will head a municipal steering committee focusing on community affairs, education, employment, and addressing crime challenges in Jaffa, while integrating public representatives and activists into the committee’s work.
The agreements also include joint declarations regarding the strengthening of partnerships between all the city’s communities, preserving the character of historic neighborhoods, tackling gentrification, promoting multiculturalism and protecting human rights. These steps will be accompanied by deepened municipal investment and increased involvement of faction members in policy implementation. Additionally, agreement was reached on strengthening municipal programs for at-risk youth, expanding employment integration for marginalized populations, combating crime in Jaffa and South Tel Aviv, and reinforcing social and community services. The parties also agreed on practical solutions for renters, municipal assistance in cases of building collapses or uninhabitable structures, the preservation of the Shapira neighborhood garden, and the establishment of a heritage center for Jaffa’s Arab population, alongside the municipal commitment to withhold support from entities that promote racism, discrimination, or the displacement of communities from their neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, right-wing efforts both inside and outside the Haifa City Council continue to block the appointment of Hadash faction member Attorney Fakher Bayadsi as Deputy Mayor, in accordance with the coalition agreement signed ahead of the last elections. Hadash holds two seats on the Haifa City Council, represented by Raja Za’atry and Bayadsi. For Bayadsi’s appointment to be approved, he requires 16 council votes. Consequently, a right-wing campaign has been launched to block the upcoming appointment, which is scheduled for the council meeting on July 7.
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