Haifa’s mayor appoints deputy who expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah
Left-wing Hadash activist Raja Za’atra previously compared Zionism to ISIS and Nazism, and has now been promoted by mayor Anat Kalisch Rotem
Haifa’s new mayor has refused a request from Israel’s prime minister to rescind the appointment of an Arab deputy mayor who has expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah.
Raja Za’atra, an activist from the left-wing, Arab-Jewish Hadash Party, compared Zionism to ISIS at a political debate during the 2015 election campaign, and has compared Zionism to Nazism on social media.
Netanyahu phoned Anat Kalisch Rotem on Sunday morning and asked her to cancel Za’atra’s appointment. “This is unacceptable; therefore, I am convinced that it will not happen,” he told his Cabinet shortly after the phone call.
Kalisch Rotem, the first female mayor of Haifa, said she would not break her coalition agreement with the Hadash Party, Haaretz reported.
“I am a member neither of Hamas nor of Hezbollah, but rather of the Israeli Communist Party and the Hadash movement, which holds high the banner of peace, equality and fraternity among nations,” Za’atra told Haaretz. He said he would be a hard-working representative of the residents of Haifa, a mixed Jewish and Arab city.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said he is already working to find out if he can legally block Za’atra’s appointment.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
