Jerusalem Mayor: City Must Remain Outside Peace Negotiations
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's re-election campaign has heightened tensions between former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, supporting Barkat's opponent, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is yet to endorse a candidate.
“I know that the prime minister is under pressure from many different directions, including from Avigdor Liberman and others,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat when I ask whether he was disappointed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed him for mayor as the city heads toward municipal elections on Oct. 22.
Barkat, formerly a member of the Kadima Party, supported Netanyahu in the last election, and the two share a positive relationship based on mutual respect. In the last few weeks, however, the Jerusalem mayoral campaign took a surprising turn, with Knesset member Avigdor Liberman, a former foreign minister and second in line in Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu, deciding to back his associate Moshe Leon for the office.
