Mayoral elections in Israel’s capital of Jerusalem are soon coming to a close today as voters cast their ballots.  Who wants to run the ancient city?  Here are the three main contenders: 

Nir Barkat, a secular businessman and philanthropist, now serves as a councilmember of the Municipality of Jerusalem.  He first ran in 2003 against current mayor Uri Lupoliansky, getting 43% of the vote but ultimately losing the election.  His non-sectarian platform includes improved education in Jerusalem schools, heightening the city’s accessibility and attractiveness as a tourist destination, and maintaining Israeli control over all of Jerusalem- a stance which caused him to break previous ties with the Kadima party.

Rabbi Meir Porush is currently a member of Knesset representing the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism.  Porush has also served on the Jerusalem city council and was once deputy mayor.  He also runs on a platform of a united Jerusalem, expansion of Jewish settlements in the city, and continued support for the status quo on religious education.      

 Russian-Israeli billionaire tycoon Arkadi Gaydamak is also running under the banner of his party, Social Justice.  Gaydamak has increased his own visibility in the past few years by setting up goodwill projects throughout the country in face of dangerous situations like the Second War in Lebanon.  His platform consists of improving Jerusalem’s economy and reaching out to different populations within Jerusalem.  His stance on territorial issues is slightly more moderate than that of the Likud party.

The election has highlighted the internal divisions of Jerusalem, especially between religious and secular residents.  For the time being, Nir Barkat is ahead in the polls, but with about 11% of Jerusalemites undecided, the race is still up for grabs.

You can watch a video of the three candidates speaking to the residents of Jerusalem and addressing some of these issues here.

Now, what would you do…

The US is through with elections for now, but while Israel awaits its own upcoming voting season, what do Israelis think about President-elect Obama?

This article from Israel21c highlights how Obama has been treated in the Israeli blogosphere, including reactions ranging from admiration to worry.

Here is a snippet of the reaction from the Israel’s leadership:

Despite previously harbouring concerns over Mr Obama’s commitment to its security, Israel’s government also offered its congratulations. Tzipi Livni, the country’s foreign minister said Israelis welcomed Mr Obama’s “commitment to the peace and security of Israel”. She added that she hoped Israel and the US would “continue to strengthen the lasting special relationship between our two countries”.

The Israeli President, Shimon Peres, described Mr Obama as “young, fresh, promising, representing a change and introducing change”.
-The UK Telegraph

The Jerusalem Post interviewed several members of Knesset after Obama’s election, including ultra-Orthodox, Ethiopian, centrist, and Arab representatives, collecting a wide range of sentiments. 

Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain recently met for their last public debate before the election.  Israel did not play a noticeable role in the candidates’ exchanges- issues such as the economy, health care, and energy took center stage.

To the right is a graphic displaying the results of a New York Times poll from August of 2008.  A similar poll given by CNN in July revealed that 93% of voters say the economy is either “extremely” or ”very” important to their choice of candidate.     

Whether you’ll be able to vote in this election or not, we’d like to know what you think…