Attorney Walid Abu Tayeh has presented his candidacy for the position of Jerusalem Mayor and will continue to run despite the Islamic ruling forbidding him to do so.
Municipal elections are due to be held at the end of October.
The Council Responsible for Rulings in Islamic Law, headed by the Jerusalem Mufti Mohammed Hussein, has unequivocally declared that it is forbidden for any Palestinian Arab resident of Jerusalem to take part in municipal elections, whether as a candidate or as a voter.
In an interview with Nas Radio, Abu Tayeh said that he will run in the elections as a candidate for the party, "A city of all its residents," and that his goal is to represent the Arab residents of Jerusalem, many of whom have Israeli residency and 40,000 of whom have Israeli citizenship.
Abu Tayeh was born in Nazareth, but today lives in Jerusalem. He has claimed that his mayor goal is to fight for the civil rights of the "Palestinians," and among other things to fight the demolition of homes, expropriation of land, unequal division of resources, discrimination, and racism.
According to him, running in the elections is not a recognition of the "occupation," since he still sees Jerusalem as being "occupied," but even in such circumstances as these, Abu Tayeh sees himself as obligated to act for the good of the "Palestinian" public, since rights will not be achieved on their own, but only by presenting demands.
Abu Tayeh also expressed determination to run in the elections and attempt to bring in representatives for candidacy in the city, despite the Arab consensus which opposes such a step and in spite of the clear ruling. On this point, Abu Tayeh defied the Islamic ruling, claiming it is "political."