Talk:Mayor of Jerusalem

Structure of the list
The way the list is presented is problematic. Zerotalk 23:54, 16 February 2010 (UTC)
 * "Jerusalem" and "al-Quds" are the same place; the distinction claimed by the page is illusory. Moreover, the official name of the city in the Ottoman period was "al-Quds", which means that the distinction is inaccurate as well as illusory.  During the Mandate period, the three names Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, and al-Quds were all official.  This being the English wikipedia, we should use Jerusalem consistently.
 * The page presents the Israeli-appointed mayors after 1948 as the successors of the earlier mayors. This is just an Israeli POV since there is just as good a reason to regard the Jordanian-appointed mayors as the successors.  The solution is to have 3 tables instead of 2.  We need a little ingenuity with regard to column headings, that's all.

In line with this, the East Jerusalem mayors without a picture should not be symbolized by a Palestinian symbol but rather a Jordanian one.

Ideas for changes to the list
I have been making some small changes to the article. I am very conscious of the sensitivities involved, so did not want to go further without setting out the basis of my thinking.
 * The use of the Union Flag as the image for the City Council Committee entry (1945-1948) looks really odd. I know that according to Flag of Mandatory Palestine it was the official flag, but even so it just doesn't seem quite right. Did the mandate or the Council have a coat of arms at that period? I can only find the Emblem of Jerusalem which isn't appropriate as it came along later. The Public Seal of Mandatory Palestine might do, but similarly looks very British. Thoughts?
 * The 'Coalition' column is a little confusing currently. Uri Lupolianski's entry lists 'United Torah Judaism-Degel HaTorah- Agudat Yisrael'. In contrast Zalman Shragai and Yitzhak Kariv have United Religious Front listed here. My understanding is the UTJ (like the old URF) is an alliance, so should probably be listed on its own in that column. I may have missed a nuance as to why this shouldn't be though.
 * I am confused by Teddy Kolleck's entries in the Coalition column as well. What difference (if any) is there between Alignment Coalition and Alignment as displayed here? Should the third Kolleck row have a break in it to indicate a change, as the list of participants in the Alignment article seems to show it had shrunk to pretty much just Labour after 1984? It looks to me like the same parties continued supporting him after that date, just not as a formal coalition. This isn't clear from the entries as they stand at the moment.
 * I think footnote 8 listing titular mayors of East Jerusalem after 1967 might be worth putting in a seperate table, though I appreciate this is likely a more controversal suggestion. An appropriate heading and description would obviously be needed. I think it's important to include the word 'titular'; I'd be inclined to avoid 'claimed' or 'in pretense' which could appear pejorative. Does anyone know who appointed Ruhi al-Khatib's successors? It was post Oslo so was it the Palestinian Authority? Also, what if anything has happened since Zaki al-Ghul died? Is there dispute between more than one appointee from different factions as with some other Palestinian posts in recent times? Or none?

I'm basically seeking clarification or advice on any of the above 217.155.59.206 (talk) 11:47, 31 March 2022 (UTC)