The deputy head of Fatah, Mahmoud al-Aloul, said on Wednesday that excluding Jerusalem from the Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections would be “a betrayal and a crime.”
Aloul stressed the need to deal with the elections in Jerusalem, like the rest of the Palestinian governorates, pointing out that the matter was agreed upon in previous meetings with the factions and the national and Islamic forces.
Aloul's statements came ahead of a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and heads of Palestinian factions for a unified position on the elections.
Reports indicate that Abbas is planning to announce his decision to cancel the elections because Israel did not respond to the request to hold the vote in Jerusalem.
Abbas received EU Representative in Palestine Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff and discussed with him the latest developments regarding the Palestinian legislative elections scheduled for May 22.
Abbas briefed the official on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and efforts to hold elections in all the Palestinian territories, including in Jerusalem as candidates, campaigning and voting as per the presidential decrees on this matter.
He called on the EU to continue pressuring the Israeli government to allow Palestinian elections in occupied Jerusalem according to internationally-mediated agreements signed between the two sides.
The EU Representative affirmed Europe's support for holding the Palestinian elections, saying it will continue to carry out intensive contacts with Israel to hold the elections in occupied East Jerusalem.
Member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Azzam al-Ahmad said that the elections can’t be held under occupation.
Ahmad warned that holding elections under occupation is a recognition of the legitimacy of the occupation.
The election in Jerusalem is not “technical or logistical”, it is linked to the fate of the Palestinian cause as a whole, said Ahmad, adding that the meeting of the Palestinian leadership Thursday will lead to a decision on the vote.
However, various electoral lists strongly reject postponing the elections, warning that it violates the authority and undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
The 15 electoral lists issued a legal memorandum calling on the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (PCEC) to adhere to its independence and reject any decision that breaches the rule of law and the relevant constitutional rules.
Pending a decision from Abbas, the Commission continues to operate normally.
It issued a statement Wednesday announcing the deadline for submitting the request to withdraw the candidate list for the Legislative Council, warning that no withdrawal requests submitted after Thursday will be accepted.
The Commission indicated that final lists and candidates will be announced on Friday on its official website.
