Mayors in the Middle: Indirect Rule and Local Government in Occupied Palestine

Diana B. Greenwald's book, Mayors in the Middle, examines local self-government in the absence of sovereignty, focusing on the West Bank. It challenges the notion that local self-government is exceptional and draws parallels with British colonial India and South Africa's apartheid regime.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 14 May 2024
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Israel's occupation of the West Bank since 1967 has led to various forms of rule, including delegating governing responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Diana B. Greenwald's book, "Mayors in the Middle," offers a new theory of local government under indirect rule, which is often associated with imperial powers of the past but persists in settings of colonialism and state-building today. Through fine-grained data on municipal governance under occupation and interviews with Palestinian mayors, council members, staff, activists, and political elites, the book traces how the Israel-PA regime has influenced the constraints and incentives of Palestinians serving in local government. The book demonstrates that both the indirect rule system itself and the political affiliation of Palestinian mayors shape how politicians will govern. Greenwald draws illustrative parallels with British colonial India and South Africa's apartheid regime, highlighting the broader dilemmas of indigenous self-government in these settings.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231213158