Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday, Monday, that he is conducting intensive contacts with many countries and parties in order to pressure Israel regarding holding elections in all Palestinian territories, including the occupied city of Jerusalem.

Abbas also briefed the members of the Fatah Central Committee about his administration's contacts with international parties, especially the International Quartet, in order to ensure the launch of a political process based on international legitimacy decisions and the Arab Peace Initiative based on the two-state solution.

The Palestinian President stressed the commitment to hold elections on the announced dates in the Palestinian territories - including East Jerusalem - for candidacy, propaganda and elections.

Abbas said that the leadership is conducting intensive contacts with the United Nations, the United States of America and the European Union in order to pressure the Israeli government to abide by the agreements signed regarding the electoral process.

"So far, we have not received any response from the Israeli side about that (holding elections in Jerusalem)," he added.

Abbas stressed his commitment to proceed with holding the elections according to the dates announced in accordance with the presidential decrees.

Share and vote

Previously, Palestinian residents of occupied Jerusalem participated in the Palestinian elections in the years 1996, 2005 and 2006 under special arrangements agreed upon between the Palestinians and the Israelis, according to which voting took place at the Israeli post office.

The Palestinian elections are scheduled to take place in 3 phases: legislative on May 22, presidential on July 31, and the National Assembly on August 31.

The Central Committee said in a statement issued after the meeting that the Palestinian people will not accept that there be any veto of the occupation in any way on the electoral process, specifically in Jerusalem.

She added that Jerusalem and its people are a red line that will not be compromised or tampered with.

Borrell: The European Union is ready to do everything it can to support this electoral process (Anatolia)

Supportive position

For its part, the European Union renewed its support for holding general elections in Palestine, including the occupied city of Jerusalem.

This came during a meeting between the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the European Union, Josep Borrell, with the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riyad Al-Maliki, in Brussels.

Borrell and Al-Maliki discussed the Palestinian elections file, according to the official Palestinian News Agency.

Borrell said the European Union is ready to do everything it can to support this electoral process, including continued assistance to the Central Elections Committee.

He added that inclusive, accountable, and functioning Palestinian democratic institutions based on respect for the rule of law and human rights are essential to the two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli).

Al-Arouri: The postponement of the elections will introduce the Palestinian situation into a cycle of disagreements and deepen divisions (Al-Jazeera)

 Hamas responded

In this context, Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), revealed that his movement had sent a message to Israel that it would not accept preventing the Palestinian elections.

Al-Arouri indicated that the postponement of the elections will enter the Palestinian situation into a cycle of disagreements and deepen divisions.

He stressed the need to hold elections in the occupied city of Jerusalem without depending on the approval of the occupation, indicating that its movement is ready for the election battle in Jerusalem through a comprehensive national alignment in the face of the occupation.

And he warned that the battle of Jerusalem could turn into a spark of a Palestinian national uprising, and he expected that the occupation would make every effort to prevent the holding of the elections.

Last Saturday, Israel arrested 3 candidates for membership in the Palestinian Legislative Council in Jerusalem after preventing them from holding a press conference on the electoral process in the occupied city, before releasing them later, according to eyewitnesses.

The Israeli government will refrain from responding to a Palestinian request to hold legislative elections on May 22 in East Jerusalem.