Kabbuchi Twinning event, Italy, c.1990

These photographs show George Harb carrying out his role as an independent candidate of the Municipal Council at a twinning initiative in Italy. George Harb was elected as an independent candidate of the Municipal Council in 1974 and remained on the council for 18 years (until 1992).

The Israeli Government banned municipal elections in Bethlehem in 1976, freezing the council in its 1976 configuration, which explains George Harb's long tenure. His role on the council was in education – i.e. overseeing schools in Bethlehem, but he also helped the mayor on various other activities, for example leading overseas trips such as this one when the Bethlehem mayor Elias Freij was unwell. This image is part of the George Harb Photos collection, within the George Harb project of the Planet Bethlehem Archive.