Jerusalem still a divided city

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33423, 3 January 1974, Page 9

Jerusalem still a divided city

).V Z Press Association —Copyright? JERUSALEM, January 2. The meagre turn-out of Jerusalem's Arab voters in the Israeli General Election dramatised the invisible barrier that still divides the Holy City.

More than six years after Israel took over the Arab section, and declared the city united, only 10 per cent of 43,000 eligible Arab voters showed up at the polls. The remainder, it is widely agreed, were scared off by guerrilla threats, or were too preoccupied with the effect that the Middle East peace talks in Geneva might have on the status of Jerusalem. Mr Mahmoud Abu Zolof, editor of the Jerusalem Arabic-language daily, “El Quds,” commented: “The people see no point in these elections.” he said. “They are certain that the conference will soon reach an arangement for Jerusalem which will remove Jewish rule from the Arab sector.” Because Jerusalem’s 80,000 Arabs are Jordanian citizens, they can vote only for candidates for the municipal offices, not for those for the Tyyhli Parliament. Even so. their turn-out was lower

:r. by half than the previous .. election in 1969. v "Why should I care?” - asked a young Arab garage 1 mechanic. “Whatever haps pens. the mayor will be Jewish. It won’t make any yj difference to me.” y' The victor in the municipal □ election was the incumbent :t’Mayor. Mr Teddy Kollek, ewho received 71 per cent of ethe Arab vote. 1.! Egyptian and Jordanian 1,. radio stations had urged the n Arabs to boycott the election. J [Warning slogans were clane:destinely daubed on buildings e in Arab Jerusalem, and leafe lets were strewn in the e streets, naming Arabs em- ■- ployed by Mr Kollek’s party h machinery, and accusing n them of being “traitors and quislings." s One Arab assistant to Mr n Meron Benvenisti, Mr Koly lek’s Jewish expert on Arab i- affairs, had his car stolen the r night before the election. The n next morning it was found r in a valley, gutted by fire.