‘Israel’ says it will not prevent Palestinian elections from happening
Occupied Palestine (QNN)- ‘Israel’ is not blocking or otherwise involving itself in the planned Palestinian election, Foreign Ministry political director Alon Bar told European ambassadors on Tuesday.
The remark came after ambassadors from the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Ireland and others met with Bar to stress “the importance of democratic elections in the Palestinian Territories to strengthen political participation and accountability as well as democratic checks and balances.”
Representatives of 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 🇮🇹 🇧🇪 🇩🇰 🇵🇱 🇳🇱 🇸🇪 🇮🇪 🇫🇮 🇵🇹🇩🇪 & 🇪🇺 today exchanged with @IsraelMfa on the importance of democratic elections in the Palestinian Territories to strengthen political participation and accountability as well as democratic checks & balances.
— Susanne.Wasum-Rainer (@GerAmbTLV) April 27, 2021
Representatives of 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 🇮🇹 🇧🇪 🇩🇰 🇵🇱 🇳🇱 🇸🇪 🇮🇪 🇫🇮 🇵🇹 & 🇩🇪 today exchanged with @IsraelMFA on the importance of democratic elections in the Palestinian Territories to strengthen political participation and accountability as well as democratic checks & balances.
— La France en Israël (@ambfranceisrael) April 27, 2021
“Israel will not prevent the election in the Palestinian Authority from happening,” Bar said.
The Palestinians have said they requested that the pccupation state of ‘Israel’ allow voting to take place in east Jerusalem, and ‘Israel’ has not responded.
The Palestinian Authority is planning to call off the first elections in 15 years if it cannot be held in Jerusalem.
In January, President Mahmud Abbas said that legislative, presidential and National Council elections would be held in the coming months, as part of a warming of ties between Fatah and Hamas.
The elections are supposed to be held under decree issued by President Mahmoud Abbas in three stages: the legislative on May 22, the presidential elections on July 31, and the elections for the National Council on August 31.
The last Palestinian elections for the Legislative Council were held in 2006, and Hamas won the majority, while presidential elections were held in 2005, and President Abbas won.
Bar also told the European diplomats that the Palestinian elections are an internal Palestinian matter, and as such, ‘Israel’ will not intervene.
Still, Bar emphasized that Hamas’s participation in the election is “problematic” and violates the Quartet’s conditions.
The diplomat added that ‘Israel’ is acting “carefully and responsibly” to prevent further deterioration of the security situation and expects Europe to behave in the same way.
