Interviewed by Daoud Kuttab in Ramallah

From the rich history of Ramallah and its founding families, with roots extending back to the early blacksmiths who laid the city’s foundation, Jacoub Saadeh assumed his new position on May 5th as Mayor of Ramallah.

On his last day before taking office, Saadeh, with Milhilard, org, met with the newly elected mayor for a frank and transparent interview. He revealed the magnitude of the challenges, from the accumulated financial crises and the crippling traffic congestion and its impact on Ramallah’s economic lifeline, to his vision for strengthening the resilience of the Palestinian people.

A Heavy Legacy: Accumulated Debts and Urgent Priorities

Saadeh is fully aware that the road ahead is not easy and that there is a legacy that must be handled wisely. Regarding his decisions in his first days in office, Saadeh explained that assessing the financial and service situation was the priority: “We hear about accumulated and very high debts, and there are many suppliers and merchants who haven’t received their dues for seven or nine months, and this places a heavy burden on us. Our first step is to determine our true capabilities and work on finding new sources of income, including from some of our twin cities, or rescheduling these debts.”

On the ground, the mayor made public safety a top priority, noting the need for swift intervention to address streets that have recently witnessed traffic accidents by removing and modifying dividers to ensure citizens’ safety.

Transparent Management: The Street is Our Real Office

In response to a question from Milhilard about the mechanism for implementing transparency and communicating with citizens, Saadeh presented a new approach, distinct from previous councils, based on proactive engagement and going out into the streets rather than waiting for citizens in meeting rooms.

Saadeh says, “We recently met with about 60 people at the Orthodox Church, and I told the priest: ‘Next time, I won’t ask you to come to the municipal halls; we will come to you to listen to the people. ‘” The citizens are tired, and we can’t wait for them to come to us.” Saadeh reveals a firm field action plan: “We will have monthly patrols throughout the city, accompanied by the police and civil defense. I will go down to Manara Square and walk the streets to ask people and shopkeepers who are encroaching on the sidewalks and who are littering. The average person doesn’t ask for big things; they just want a clean and decent street, and these patrols will enable us to solve simple problems like street lighting or sidewalk repairs within 24 hours.”

The Qalandia-Kafr Aqab Knot: A Deliberate Stranglement of the Economy

The interview also addressed one of the most painful issues for the city of Ramallah and its visitors: the crisis at the Qalandia checkpoint and the Kafr Aqab area. Saadeh agrees with the argument presented that this congestion is severely damaging Ramallah’s economy and preventing vital communication with Jerusalemites and Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Speaking about this issue, Saadeh emphasizes that the Israeli occupation is deliberately creating this congestion and obstructing fundamental solutions, saying: “The occupation completely prevents us from having unarmed police presence there under the pretext that these areas belong to Jerusalem. Even when Palestinian civil organizations had previously tried to regulate traffic, they were prevented from doing so. Furthermore, Israeli military orders prohibit the construction of tunnels or bridges in that area under security pretexts.”

Despite these restrictions, Saadeh expressed considerable openness to the proposal to form a “joint committee” comprising prominent figures from Ramallah, the Kafr Aqab municipality, and Palestinian Israeli citizens in Jerusalem to exert pressure and offer innovative administrative and engineering solutions. He adds, “As politicians and administrators, we are focused on the economy and daily life. We want our people in Jerusalem to be able to come to us without having to spend four hours at checkpoints. Ramallah’s economy depends heavily on this connection, and we will work to highlight this issue in the media to pressure for a solution.”

City Diplomacy: Twinning to Serve the Palestinian Narrative

According to Saadeh’s vision, the municipality’s role is not limited to services and infrastructure but extends to serving as a pillar of national action. In this context, he emphasizes the importance of “twinning” agreements with cities around the world, especially in countries such as Italy and Spain, where municipalities are more advanced and supportive of the Palestinian cause than their central governments.

The new Ramallah mayor concludes his interview with a powerful message about the essence of municipal work under occupation: “The only weapon we have to resist the occupation is sumud ‘steadfastness.’ Citizens suffer in all aspects of their lives because of the checkpoints, the economic conditions, and the reality imposed by the settlements. Our role when we build partnerships with cities around the world is not only to bring in projects, but also to strengthen the Palestinian narrative, whose voice has risen loudly in solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian blood. And the more we provide a better and fairer service to the citizen, the more we contribute directly to strengthening this steadfastness.”