From my perspective, a just Jerusalem is one in which all residents have equal access to justice. Jerusalem’s current governance structure comprises a mayor, six appointed deputies, and a city council that is unpaid, secretive, and highly politicized on religious grounds. Jerusalem would be better served by a governance model that engages ordinary citizens as much as possible, especially in light of the ever-changing demographics in some neighborhoods. I wonder if a participatory budgeting process in the Latin American tradition would alleviate power discrepancies and realign the priorities of government authorities more closely with those of residents. Residents would be invited to join nonpartisan neighborhood assemblies and discuss issues of perceived greatest importance in their communities. Upon issue prioritization, each neighborhood assembly would elect a nonpartisan representative to a citywide council, which would ultimately decide how the annual budget is allocated. The entire process would repeat each year. This structure could replace the city council or operate beside it, but its decisions would need to be binding. Ideally, this model would refocus attention away from national politics and unite Jerusalem’s diverse population in a collaborative effort to ensure its needs are being met.
This proposal is admittedly vague and undeveloped, due in part to my lack of expertise or experience in Jerusalem. Still, I believe it presents a feasible governance model and could play a significant role in creating a just Jerusalem in 2050.
Please let me know your thoughts.
Conner Purcell
Candidate, MA International Development
School of International Service, American University
Washington, DC USA
