Originally reported in
Live Blog | Jan 18, 2020
The Palestinian Authority is demanding that Israel allow East Jerusalem to take part in the planned Palestinian national elections, to take place later this year.
“We officially demand that Israel abide by the agreements to enable the participation of our people in Jerusalem in the elections, both nominating and electing,” PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh says in a statement.
Israel has long opposed PA activity in East Jerusalem and has cracked down on PA operations in the city’s boundaries. When election talk filled the Palestinian airwaves in late 2019, Abbas refused to issue a decree before Israel guaranteed East Jerusalem Palestinians could cast ballots.
Palestinians have not held elections since 2006. PA President Mahmoud Abbas has promised elections several times since his four-year term was supposed to have expired in 2009. However, repeated attempts to hold votes for president and parliament have failed, largely due to the inability of rivals Fatah and Hamas to agree on terms.
