The race for the position of mayor of Jerusalem began on Sunday with the announcement of the first candidate to join the run against incumbent Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.

Yosi Havilio, currently the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, joined the race as the head of the “Jerusalem Union” party – which is comprised of five liberal parties that united ahead of the elections – Meretz, Labor, Yesh Atid, Chozeh Chadash, and Saving Jerusalem.

Municipal elections are scheduled for October 30.

Havilio’s statements announcing his run were heavily focused on fear-mongering, name-calling, and anti-Chareidi and anti-religious rhetoric and said little about what he hoped to accomplish aside from opposing religious trends. “The moderate majority must rebuild the alliance of the founders and defenders of the State of Israel in Jerusalem, the capital city,” he wrote. “We have one last opportunity to convert the city from the extreme, poor, and non-Zionist abyss it is heading toward.”

“After uniting all the state-liberal voices in the city, we are turning to the most important mission: fighting for the future of Jerusalem. Because we cannot sit idly by. We influenced and responsibly led the coalition in Jerusalem but the most important thing for those who want to change the city is to call to the state and liberal majority to go out and win. The urban strategy of Israel’s capital cannot be limited to emptying garbage from the cans. Jerusalem is on an economic and social crash course and Lion’s extremist and fanatical base does not allow him to change direction. Once the Titanic hits the iceberg, it doesn’t matter if the corridor is clean. We will change this, not only for Jerusalem but for the entire country.”

“In the coalition I lead, [Noam chairman] Avi Maoz will see Jerusalem from a different perspective. We will protect our neighborhoods from Chareidization and decline, and I will do what Smotrich, Goldknopf, and Deri have failed to do – shift the wheel away from the extreme, poor, and non-Zionist direction the city is heading. We’ve put our egos aside and established ‘The Jerusalem Union’ to prevent the waste of Zionist and liberal votes and to return the moderate majority to the city council. But that’s not enough. For 30 years, elected mayors have insisted on basing their coalition on the local versions of Avi Maoz, Ben-Gvir, and Goldknopf. I pledge that after being elected mayor, I will establish a coalition based primarily on the state and liberal factions.”

Havilo, 64, is a lawyer by profession. In the 2018 mayoral race, he ran on an independent ticket but dropped out along the way and endorsed Hitorerut candidate Ofer Berkowitz, who lost to Lion.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)