'Residents grasp danger of haredi mayor'

Jerusalem mayoral candidate Nir Barkat tells 'Post' vast majority of modern Orthodox back him.

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
barkat view of walls 248 AJ (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
barkat view of walls 248 AJ
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Jerusalem opposition leader Nir Barkat said Thursday he expects the secular, traditional and modern Orthodox voter turnout to be the surprise of the November mayoral election. "Jerusalem residents care about what is happening in the city, and they understand the danger of another term for a haredi candidate," Barkat said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. He said that Jerusalem had already lost its "Zionist majority," with more than a third of the city Arab and another 20 percent haredi. The self-made hi-tech millionaire, who lost to Mayor Uri Lupolianski of United Torah Judaism in the last vote five years ago, said he was convinced that the vast majority of the modern Orthodox public now backed his candidacy - support which is critical if he is to take over city hall. "Today the modern Orthodox camp understands that the Zionist movement has to be united," Barkat said. Last time, less than 40% of the non-haredi sector voted, and the modern Orthodox voted heavily for Lupolianski. Now, Barakat is the front-runner, but the polls have been fickle in the past; in 2003, he also led in the surveys. For the past year, Barkat has been at the forefront of a public campaign against the division of Jerusalem, winning him support from the modern Orthodox camp, who in 2003 had been uncertain of his largely independent political stance. In the interview, Barkat said he had ended his association with the ruling Kadima Party because of its willingness to cede parts of Jerusalem as part of a peace treaty with the Palestinians. "Jewish roots and values as well as the necessary economic development of the city mean that we absolutely cannot divide Jerusalem," he said. Over the past five years the situation in Jerusalem had deteriorated, with a continuing exodus of young Israelis, a "faulty" city administration and a lack of long-term vision for the city, he said. "The city views taxpayers as milk cows instead of as a catalyst," he said. Barkat said the city's top priorities needed to be employment opportunities, affordable housing, proper management and improving education - the latter being the reason he cites for leaving the business world for public service. The opposition leader has put forward a blueprint for dealing with these issues. He declined to comment on whether former Shas chairman Aryeh Deri should be allowed to run in November 11's mayoral race despite being barred from public office until next summer because of his previous imprisonment for taking bribes, fraud and breach of trust. "The public and the legal system will be the judge of that," Barkat said. He said the mayoral race was wrongly perceived by some as a contest over who would rule Jerusalem - secular or haredi citizens - as opposed to who would best improve the city. He added that the political experience of his opponents - including the declared haredi candidate MK Meir Porush of UTJ - was not necessarily a plus. "They grew up in the political world, which is not a positive but a negative," he said. "The public is looking for someone who can change things." Barkat cited the problems surrounding the construction of the city's much-delayed light rail system as emblemic of the lack of accountability on the part of the municipality and specifically the mayor. "There is one person who is accountable - and that is the mayor," he said. Before making his fortune, the 49-year-old father of three girls served in the Paratroopers, where he holds the rank of major in the reserves. Barkat said the election was an opportunity for real change. "Being mayor of Jerusalem is a means, not a goal, to create change for the city of Jerusalem," he said.