Jamal Zahalka Elected as Head of the High Follow-up Committee

SadaNews - Dr. Jamal Zahalka was elected as the head of the High Follow-up Committee after winning the elections held at the committee's headquarters in the Al-Woroud neighborhood of Nazareth from noon until 5 PM.

Zahalka received 53 votes (73% of eligible voters), while his opponent Nivin Abu Rahmoun received 7 votes (10%) in an election where the voter turnout was 82% of eligible voters.

Both Zahalka and Abu Rahmoun competed for the committee's presidency following the withdrawal of three candidates, which they announced yesterday, Friday, during a press conference held in Kafr Qassem. The withdrawn candidates included: Ali Khader Zidan, the head of the Kafr Manda local council, former mayor of Rahat Ata Abu Madigham, and head of the popular committee in Kafr Qassem, Saed Issa.

The elections committee, formed by the Central Council of the High Follow-up Committee and tasked with managing the elections, issued a statement on Friday evening clarifying that "the elections will be conducted with absolute transparency, according to the internal regulations, and with legal accompaniment to ensure their integrity and the unity of all components to serve our people. "

The Gathering: We call for the preservation of the follow-up committee and see enhancing its role as a national responsibility for all

The National Democratic Gathering issued a statement calling "to preserve the High Follow-up Committee for the Arab masses as it is the collective national body of our people inside, and the framework that embodies our political and social unity, expressing the concerns of our people everywhere," emphasizing that "strengthening the follow-up committee and developing its working tools is a collective national task and a shared responsibility of all components of our people, including parties, political frameworks, local authorities, popular committees, and civil society forces, to ensure its capacity to confront the growing challenges imposed by the reality of fascism, racism, and political persecution. "

The gathering extended "thanks and appreciation to Muhammad Barakeh, the former head of the High Follow-up Committee for the Arab masses, for his national and responsible role during his years of presidency, as he maintained the unity of this collective house and led work under extremely complex political conditions with steadfastness and wisdom, preserving the constants and carrying national and humanitarian positions throughout his years leading this committee."

It also congratulated its former leader Dr. Jamal Zahalka on "his election as head of the follow-up committee with 88% of the total votes cast by members of the central council of the follow-up committee, which includes representatives of all components of the follow-up along with heads of local Arab authorities from different regions," affirming that "this broad trust confirms the status that Dr. Zahalka holds among our political community and among the components of the follow-up committee and local authority heads, bearing significant responsibility in leading this central framework and maintaining and strengthening it."

The gathering also expressed appreciation for educator and leader Nivin Abu Rahmoun, who contested the presidency of the follow-up committee with a bold national and humanitarian program, setting an admirable example in commitment to our people's issues and defending their rights. No matter the election result, Nivin will remain a figure of national, social, and political significance.

The gathering affirmed that "the unity of our people, maintaining its identity, national cohesion, community solidarity, clinging to constants, confronting racism and oppression, alongside combating crime and violence, demolition and displacement projects, and the common issues faced by our people are fundamental. Preserving the follow-up committee and enhancing its role is our path to confront the severe challenges facing our community and people in the current historical phase."

About the Follow-up Committee

The High Follow-up Committee was established in 1984 as a result of political transformations in the 48 territories following the first Lebanon War and the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Its establishment marked the peak of political organization for Palestinians inside at that time, following the establishment of the National Committee of Heads of Local Arab Authorities in 1974 and then the National Committee for the Defense of Land in 1975.

The follow-up committee, which is a political entity and not a party, aims to encompass and focus political work for Palestinians in the 48 territories and coordinate among their institutions. Its membership includes heads of local authorities and Arab representatives, in addition to representatives from political parties, movements, and non-parliamentary Arab organizations.

In 1984, the head of Shfaram municipality, Ibrahim Nimer Hussein, was elected as the head of the High Follow-up Committee, who was then elected to head the National Committee of Heads of Local Authorities, directly chairing the follow-up committee.

In 1998, elections were held for the presidency of the national committee of heads of local authorities, reaching a consensus between the head of Kafr Manda local council, Muhammad Zidan, and the head of Yafa Nazareth local council, Shawqi Khateeb, with Zidan holding the position until mid-2001, after which Khateeb took over until 2003.

In 2003, Shawqi Khateeb won the elections until 2008, after which he did not run for local council elections in Yafa Nazareth, ending his term as head of the national committee and the follow-up committee.

In early 2009, there were consensual elections for the national committee's presidency without the follow-up committee, which resulted in the victory of Ramiz Jaraisi, the mayor of Nazareth. There were also consensual elections for the follow-up committee presidency, and Muhammad Zidan resumed the position until he resigned in 2014, then the head of the national committee at that time, Mazen Ghnaim, took the presidency of the follow-up committee according to the committee's constitution.

In 2015, the first competitive elections for the follow-up committee took place, in which the former Knesset member Muhammad Barakeh won, reaching a consensus in the third round after two rounds where he received a majority of votes without getting the two-thirds as per the committee's constitution, while competing with the leader of the southern Islamic movement and former head of Kafr Bara local council, Sheikh Kamal Rayan.

In 2020, the path was open for Barakeh, as he ran alone and received the vast majority of the votes, with 54 out of 62, winning a second term until this year.

The follow-up committee's headquarters has been located in Shfaram until 1998 as it was the president's town, then moved to Kafr Manda, and later to the Al-Woroud neighborhood in Nazareth, following the opening of the headquarters of the national committee at the same location.

In recent weeks, there has been a debate regarding the extent of representation of parties within the follow-up committee, in addition to the election mechanisms and the criteria for determining the eligible voters.