At the end of a long and irritating – though restrained – day, the results of the elections for the local branch of the Meretz Party were announced. In a dramatic overthrow, Pepe Alalu, head of Meretz’s Jerusalem branch and its city council list for more than a decade, was dismissed from the position. Meir Margalit, Alalu’s close friend and companion in his many struggles, had dared for the first time in their long association to challenge him, and won. For quite a few of the veteran members of the party, these results came as a shock, including for Alalu himself, who felt betrayed, according to his closest friends and family members. But the verdict of the voters has not been overturned, and Margalit is quickly assuming his new position, already working hard to establish his policies.In a short interview with In Jerusalem, Margalit presented his views and plans for the near and distant future of his party and the city.You and Alalu have been very close friends for decades. Was your decision to challenge him in these elections a personal issue as well? It was certainly not a personal issue for me – Pepe and I represent the same issues, we share the same values. But I felt that for the sake of the party in Jerusalem and for democracy, it was time to bring about a change.In what way?I felt that the people who support Meretz in Jerusalem wanted to see new faces at the helm of the party, and I was and still am convinced that there was no other way if we wanted to keep this party relevant to the present situation and face the challenges ahead of us. We have – and have always had – a large [base of] support in the city. But I realized that we also had some kind of glass ceiling above our heads, and I wanted to dismantle this ceiling and lead Jerusalem Meretz to the same results we achieved on a national scale in the last elections – to double our representatives.Are you expecting to gain more seats in the city council in the October elections? Absolutely. There is realistic potential for six seats and perhaps even more, especially if we implement my plan to raise large coalitions before the elections.What kind of coalitions are you thinking of? I plan to unite in one list all the pluralist and progressive forces we have here. It’s not only Meretz, but Meretz will lead. It’s not just wishful thinking, it is a serious strategy. I want to associate with the Labor Party, with the [Green Party], with Meimad, with Hadash – even though they are a very small group here, but it’s a matter of principle in my eyes. It is crucial in my eyes that the sane and progressive parts in this city collaborate.Wasn’t that also one of Alalu’s goals? True, Pepe also thought that this was the right thing to do, he just didn’t believe it could be achieved. I am convinced it is possible, and I am sure that without this move, we will not survive here.Still, there are serious ideological gaps between Hadash on one hand and Meretz, Labor or Meimad on the other. How do you think you can close these gaps? You are right, there are ideological differences. But they are smaller than one would think – especially compared to the shared goals and interests. We can all learn from Tel Aviv’s “A City for All” list, which has established a new approach, at least as far as city councils are concerned – where people stick more to what they share than what differentiates them. I think it is time we do the same in Jerusalem.For the moment, it seems that Mayor Nir Barkat is the sole candidate in the upcoming mayoral elections. Will you support him and join his coalition? My primary loyalty is toward our constituency, the people who sent us. They will decide if we shall walk hand-in-hand with Barkat, or decide to work against him.What will decide this? First of all, what kind of goals will Barkat go for? If he intends to work for pluralism, for human rights and for social sensitivity – all things that for the moment he hasn’t excelled at – then we will support him.These are slogans. Give us examples. What kind of acts do you expect from the mayor? For example, his total lack of compassion toward the weakest [members of] society. Barkat calls for intensifying money [tax] collection.This is code for what we call inserting the establishment’s hands in the residents’ pockets. During his [tenure], there have been over 14,000 foreclosure decrees against residents who didn’t pay their property taxes (arnona). But most of these people didn’t pay simply because they couldn’t afford it. I expect more compassion toward a person who tells you that his choice was to pay arnona or to buy a pair of shoes for his child. I expect the mayor to instruct his employees to make a difference.We need to institute selective enforcement here. We can, through the National Insurance Institute, find out who really cannot pay, and distinguish him or her from those who can and should pay. Jerusalem is a poor city; we cannot do things here the way they are done in Tel Aviv.Your position on the east side of the city is well-known. How can it work with Barkat’s position? First of all, the crucial decisions are not made at Safra Square, but at the Prime Minister’s Office; I am well aware of that. But I want to be sure that we – as the Jerusalem Municipality – are not doing in Jerusalem anything that may endanger the chances for a peace solution and agreement in the future. With that said, it is our duty to see that the Arab re sidents of Jerusalem obtain all their rights as residents – infrastructure, education, health, etc. But we should not interfere with their daily life, or enable installation of Jews in the heart of Arab neighborhoods.Another issue is the level of tension and even violence on the eastern side. For example, I expect the mayor to see to it that the Border Police do not station their jeeps at the entrances to junior high schools there.There is no way to prevent teenagers from throwing stones at the sight of a military jeep ostensibly stationed in their faces. A young boy throws a stone out of anger or frustration, and very quickly you have an “incident” that ends up with arrests and more violence. We can prevent that. If we [Meretz] are in the next coalition, we will – first of all – obtain significant portfolios, and I will demand a different attitude and approach from the security forces in the city.In the past, you have been involved in a few dialogue groups between the secular and haredi sectors. Will that affect your eventual relationship with the haredi representatives on the city council in any way?Will you be part of a coalition with them? My basic policy is not to go to war with the haredim. After all, if I am ready to make concessions toward the Palestinians for the sake of peace, why wouldn’t I do the same toward the haredim? Everyone should get their rights, but we will seek more social justice than there is now. •
