D.he first election in more than 15 years in the Palestinian Territories has been postponed at short notice. The reason given by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Friday night was the conflict over Jerusalem. It was agreed to postpone the election until the participation of the people in the eastern part of the city was secured, said the 85-year-old after a meeting with representatives of several Palestinian groups in Ramallah. The Islamist Hamas, the second largest Palestinian group after the more moderate Fatah of Abbas, sharply criticized the decision.
The Palestinians had recently repeatedly insisted on Israel’s clear approval of the election on May 22nd in East Jerusalem. The Israeli side did not respond to this request. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem only stressed in general that Israel did not want to interfere in the election or prevent it.
There had been speculations about a cancellation or postponement of the vote because of the Jerusalem question for a long time. The status of the city is one of the central points of contention in the Middle East conflict. Israel claims Jerusalem as “the eternal and indivisible capital” for itself. For their part, the Palestinians are sticking to their claim to East Jerusalem as their capital.
Difficult situation in East Jerusalem
From a legal point of view, Israel’s permission to cast votes in the Arab-dominated eastern part of Jerusalem is not necessary, but in fact consent is absolutely necessary because Israel controls the east of the city. The Israeli police recently took repeated action against any electoral activity there.
Experts had warned of great disappointment among the Palestinians in the event of the election being canceled or postponed. Protests were also considered possible. Due to the large number of young people in the Palestinian Territories and the previous parliamentary election long ago, around half of the approximately 2.5 million eligible voters would have been able to vote for the first time. In surveys, two thirds of those questioned recently indicated that they were dissatisfied with Abbas.
In a decree published in mid-January, the latter set a parliamentary election for May 22nd and a presidential election for July 31st. At the beginning of last week, he emphasized that he would stick to the date of the parliamentary elections. The last presidential election so far took place in 2005, the last parliamentary election in 2006. Elections were planned several times in the past few years. However, the plans were not yet as specific as this year.
The peace treaties between Israel and the Palestinians provide that Palestinian residents of Jerusalem can vote in certain post offices. According to Palestinian figures, these have a capacity for up to 6300 voters. It is not mandatory that these branches are used. The 150,000 or so eligible voters there could also vote in the suburbs. However, the Palestinian Authority (PA) insists that voting also take place in the post offices. In 2006, Israel made the vote possible in East Jerusalem.
Abbas could face defeat
Some observers see the dispute over East Jerusalem as a pretext for postponing the election. One of the motifs they suspect is the concern of Abbas and those around him about a possible defeat of his Fatah and their current deep division. Surprisingly, two prominent critics of the president – Marwan Barguti, who was imprisoned in Israel after a murder conviction, and Nasser al-Kidwa, who was excluded from the organization in March – announced that they would run the election with a joint list. In particular, Barguti, whom the Palestinians see as a political prisoner of Israel, was seen as a promising rival of Abbas. He is also said to have ambitions for the office of president.
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The official election campaign phase should begin on April 30th. The EU wanted to accompany the vote with its own observers. According to the international community, Israel did not respond to a request to send the experts until the end. The US has kept a low profile on the planned election in recent weeks.
Worry about stronger Hamas
After the fourth election within two years, Israel is in a political crisis. It is uncertain whether a government will be formed. The peace process with the Palestinians played practically no role in the election campaign. An election victory for Barguti would pose major problems for Israel. Many in Israel were also concerned about the possible strengthening of Hamas. The ruling group in the Gaza Strip is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel and the EU. But polls recently saw them behind Fatah.
Fatah and Hamas have been bitter rivals in recent years, and last year they started reconciliation talks. Hamas won the 2006 parliamentary elections, and the following year it forcibly took sole control of the Gaza Strip. Since then, Fatah has only ruled in the parts of the West Bank that are not administered by Israel. Despite its rejection of the occupation, unlike Hamas, it cooperates with Israel.
The election was intended as part of the reconciliation effort. An agreement should pave the way for new talks with Israel on a two-state solution.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/may-deadline-tipped-first-palestinian-election-after-15-years-will-not-take-place-for-the-time-being/
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