Palestinians reject European offer to hold Jerusalem election online
The PA has said they may delay or cancel the May 22 election, as Israel has yet to respond to its demand to hold the vote in Jerusalem.
By LAHAV HARKOVPalestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh in Ramallah. August 25, 2020(photo credit: ALAA BADARNEH/POOL VIA REUTERS)
The Palestinian Authority cares about the principle of physically opening polls in east Jerusalem rather than ensuring people’s ability to vote in the legislative election next month, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee last Thursday.“Some European diplomats proposed to have online elections in east Jerusalem,” he said. “The issue is not numbers; it is political. It has to do with Israeli recognition that Palestinians in east Jerusalem have the right to vote and stand for elections.”The PA has said it may delay or cancel the May 22 election, as Israel has yet to respond to its demand to hold the vote in Jerusalem. Several EU member states have called on Israel to allow Jerusalem Arabs, who have ID cards issued by Israel but are not citizens, to vote in the election.Israel has declined to do anything to support the election, but it is also has not taken steps to prevent it. With PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement deeply divided, paving the way for a possible Hamas victory, Israel does not want to be involved in bringing the terrorist group to power or to be blamed by the world for blocking the vote.With the Palestinian refusal to hold the vote without Israeli cooperation in Jerusalem, Israel is taking some of the international flack, despite its hands-off approach.Israel is “trying to spoil the elections,” Shtayyeh said.Europe should “exert pressure on Israel,” he said. “Call on the Israeli government and pressure them to respect signed agreements.”Israel has not been allowing voter registration drives or polling places in east Jerusalem and did not give visas to EU election observers, Shtayyeh said, adding that the behavior goes against agreements between Israel and the Palestinians.Nevertheless, the PA is prepared for the election to take place, he said.“The train has left the station,” he added.The election hopefully will end the Fatah-Hamas divide and “bring democracy back on track” for the Palestinians, Shtayyeh said.If Hamas is part of the government, they will have to adopt the PLO political platform of “passive resistance,” he said.Shtayyeh called on the EU to base its ties with Israel “on human rights and international law” and make it “pay a price for occupation” and “destructive measures that make a two-state solution impossible.”“We are very keen to engage with Israel based on international law,” he said, adding that “Israel controls our land, borders and water.”Asked about the Palestinian petition against Israel in the International Criminal Court, which led to an announcement earlier this year that the court would investigate alleged war crimes by Israel, he said: “The ICC is not a Palestinian invention. The ICC recognized that Israel has committed criminal acts... Europe needs to support the international system.”Israel is responsible for vaccinating Palestinians against COVID-19, Shtayyeh said, adding that the PA had rejected offers of vaccinations from Israel.Israel has vaccinated more than 100,000 Palestinians, even though the Oslo Accords stipulate that healthcare is the PA’s responsibility.
