APLA Executive Director Mr. Abdallah Anati held a meeting with Mr. Jamal Dawood, Chair of the Joint Service Council for Planning and Development Northwest Jerusalem and Mayor of Beit Duqqu Village Council; Mr. Abdelsalam Halabiya, Chair of the Joint Service Council for Planning and Development Southeast Jerusalem and Mayor of Abu Dis; and Mr. Mohammad Rabie, Chair of the Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management for the North and Northwest Jerusalem area and Mayor of Beit Enan. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Ziyad Khweis, Mayor of Al-Za‘im; Mr. Saed Zahran, Mayor of Qubeiba; Mr. Samer Abed Rabbo, Mayor of Al-Jib; and Mr. Saed Rabie, Executive Director of the Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management for Northeast and Southeast Jerusalem. The gathering took place as part of the preparations for elections to the APLA’s administrative and executive bodies.
During the meeting, Mr. Anati presented an overview of the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA), outlining its vision, mission, strategic objectives, and its main programs and activities aimed at supporting local government units (LGUs) and representing their interests at national and international levels.
He also reviewed the procedures and arrangements related to the upcoming electoral process and the mechanisms for forming APLA’s administrative and executive bodies, based on the provisions of APLA’s internal regulations and the transitional roadmap. The aim is to ensure the elections are conducted in an organized and transparent manner that encourages active participation by LGUs. Practical steps necessary to hold informational and electoral meetings for LGUs in the Jerusalem Governorate were also discussed.
The participating LGU leaders affirmed the important role APLA plays in representing local government units and stressed the need for continued joint work and unified efforts to improve LGU performance. They confirmed their commitment to strengthening coordination and communication with APLA in the interest of local bodies across the country, and agreed to begin arranging the required meetings in the Jerusalem Governorate to select the governorate’s representatives for APLA’s administrative and executive bodies.
