Editing Haifa (section)

==Government==
As an industrial port city, Haifa has traditionally been a Labor party stronghold. The strong presence of dock workers and trade unions earned it the nickname 'Red Haifa.' In addition, many prominent Arabs in the [[Communist Party of Israel|Israeli Communist Party]], among them [[Tawfik Toubi]], [[Emile Habibi]], [[Zahi Karkabi]], [[Bulus Farah]] and [[Emile Toma]], were from Haifa. [[File:Haifa Courts.jpg|thumb|left|Haifa court building]] There has been a drift toward the center.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mondediplo.com/2005/12/13haifa |title=Haifa through the looking glass |access-date=23 January 2008 |date=13 December 2005 |publisher=Le Monde diplomatique |archive-date=24 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124050903/http://mondediplo.com/2005/12/13haifa |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-20132871.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405160340/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-20132871.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 April 2012 |title='Red Haifa' in revolt against Labor |access-date=23 January 2008 |publisher=Highbeam.com – Originally from [[The Jerusalem Post|Jerusalem Post]] |date=1 February 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.islamicpluralism.org/articles/2006a/mysteriessafed.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927081007/http://www.islamicpluralism.org/articles/2006a/mysteriessafed.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007 |title=The Mysteries of Safed, The Banners of Haifa |date=26 July 2006 |first=Stephen |last=Schwartz |access-date=23 January 2008 |publisher=Islampluralism.org}}</ref> This was best signified by, in [[2006 Israeli legislative election|the 2006 legislative elections]], the [[Kadima]] party receiving about 28.9% of the votes in Haifa, and Labor lagging behind with 16.9%.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3233587,00.html |title=Haifa 2006 election results |work=[[Yedioth Ahronoth]] |access-date=23 January 2008 |language=he |archive-date=16 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416141101/http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3233587,00.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Before 1948, Haifa's Municipality was fairly unusual as it developed cooperation between the mixed Arab and Jewish community in the city, with representatives of both groups involved in the city's management. Under mayor al-Haj, between 1920 and 1927, the [[city council]] had six Arab and two Jewish representatives, with the city run as a mixed municipality with overall Arab control. Greater cooperation was introduced under [[Hasan Bey Shukri]], who adopted a positive and conciliatory attitude toward the city's Jews and gave them senior posts in the municipality.<ref>{{cite web |last=Eyadat |first=Fadi |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1150667.html |title=Haifa honors first mayor's legacy of coexistence |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=18 February 2010 |access-date=24 March 2013}}</ref> In 1940, the first Jewish mayor, [[Shabtai Levy]], was elected. Levy's two deputies were Arab (one Muslim, the other Christian), with the remainder of the council made up of four Jews and six Arabs.<ref name=govt>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kUOK3a6hAMsC&q=haifa+municipality&pg=PA129 |title=Mixed Towns, Trapped Communities: Historical Narratives, Spatial Dynamics |last=Daniel Monterescu |first=Dan Rabinowitz |pages=113–132 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |access-date=26 July 2009 |isbn=978-0-7546-4732-4 |year=2007 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528161910/https://books.google.com/books?id=kUOK3a6hAMsC&q=haifa+municipality&pg=PA129 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Today, Haifa is governed by its 12th city council, headed by the mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem. The results of municipal elections decide on the makeup of the council, similarly to the [[Knesset]] elections. The city council is the legislative council in the city, and has the authority to pass auxiliary laws.<ref name=council>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117042303/http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/ |archive-date=17 January 2008 |title=City Council Overview |language=he |publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref> The 12th council, which was elected in 2003, has 31 members, with the liberal [[Shinui]]-[[The Greens (Israel)|Greens]] ticket holding the most seats (6), and [[Likud]] coming second with 5.<ref name=councillors>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/members.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117045014/http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/members.htm |archive-date=17 January 2008 |title=Members of the 12th City Council |language=he |publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref> Many of the decisions passed by the city council are results of recommendation made by the various municipal committees, which are committees where non-municipal organs meet with representatives from the city council. Some committees are spontaneous, but some are mandatory, such as the security committee, tender committee and financial committee.<ref name=committees>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/vaadot.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117045017/http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/vaadot.htm |archive-date=17 January 2008 |title=Municipal Committees |language=he |publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref>

===Mayors===
{{see also|Mayor of Haifa|Mayoral elections in Haifa}}
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 6692 haifa city hall.jpg|thumb|City hall]]
{{Div col}}
* [[Najib Effendi al-Yasin]] (1873–77)
* [[Ahmad Effendi Jalabi]] (1878–81)
* [[Mustafa Bey al-Salih]] (1881–84)
* [[Mustafa Pasha al-Khalil]] (1885–1903)
* [[Jamil Sadiq]] (1904–10)
* [[Rif'at al-Salah]] (1910–11)
* [[Ibrahim al-Khalil]] (1911–13)
* [[Abd al-Rahman al-Haj]] (1920–27)
* [[Hassan Bey Shukri]] (1914–20, 1927–40)
* [[Shabtai Levy]] (1940–51)
* [[Abba Hushi]] (1951–1969)
* [[Moshe Flimann]] (1969–1973)
* [[Yosef Almogi]] (1974–1975)
* [[Yeruham Zeisel]] (1975–1978)
* [[Aryeh Gur'el|Arie Gur'el]] (1978–1993)
* [[Amram Mitzna]] (1993–2003)
* [[Giora Fisher]] (interim mayor, 2003)
* [[Yona Yahav]] (2003–2018)
* [[Einat Kalisch-Rotem]] (2018–present)
{{Div col end}}