Politicsעלי סלאם

Ali Sallam

Ali Sallam is an Arab Israeli politician and businessman who served as mayor of Nazareth from 2014 to 2025.

born 1953Mayor of Nazareth, 2014 to 2025The disputed 2013 Nazareth electionRemoval from office in 2025

Born: 15 July 1953, Nazareth
Occupation: local politician, mayor, businessperson

Ali Sallam was born in 1953 in Nazareth

Ali Sallam, also called Abu Maher, was born in Nazareth to a Sunni Muslim Arab family. He was the eldest son of a father who worked at the Dubek cigarette factory. He founded a maintenance services company in the Hadera area.

He joined the Nazareth city council in 1993 and became deputy to mayor Ramez Jaraisy in 1998. In 2003 he also became acting mayor. In the 2013 election he ran at the head of the Nasrati list, and after court appeals over the count, the Supreme Court ordered a new vote, which he won in March 2014.

In October 2015 he criticized Arab members of the Joint List after protests in Nazareth. Before the 2021 Knesset election he voiced qualified support for Benjamin Netanyahu. He won a third term in 2024 with 51.5% of the vote.

In 2025, after an inquiry into the city's finances and functioning, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel dissolved the council and removed Sallam from office. In December 2025 he was arrested on suspicion of transferring large sums to the Bakri crime family, and indictments were filed in February 2026. He is married and has 11 children.