EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday condemned the decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to delay long-awaited polls.
“The decision to postpone the planned Palestinian elections, including the legislative elections originally scheduled for 22 May, is deeply disappointing,” Borrell said in a statement.
“We strongly encourage all Palestinian actors to resume efforts to build on the successful talks between the factions over recent months. A new date for elections should be set without delay.”
EU: “The decision to postpone the planned Palestinian elections is deeply disappointing. A new date for elections should be set without delay. We reiterate our call on Israel to facilitate the holding of such elections…including in East Jerusalem.” https://t.co/g7WguHajVN.
— Hugh Lovatt (@h_lovatt) April 30, 2021
Abbas said the elections – the first since 2006 – had been postponed until there was a guarantee that voting can take place in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
“We reiterate our call on Israel to facilitate the holding of such elections across all of the Palestinian territory, including in East Jerusalem,” Borrell said.
He called for “calm and restraint from all actors at this sensitive time”.
Palestine’s impossible democracy dilemma https://t.co/BCn2NyIcSH
— Joe Catron 𓂆 #SaveSheikhJarrah (@jncatron) March 9, 2021
“We firmly believe that strong, inclusive, accountable and functioning democratic Palestinian institutions based on respect for the rule of law and human rights are vital for the Palestinian people, for democratic legitimacy and, ultimately, for the two-state solution,” he added.
Israel has illegally occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank since 1967.
Authorities annexed east Jerusalem shortly afterward, sending hundreds of thousands of settlers to live there in contravention of international law and evicting Palestinians from their homes in an attempt to alter the demographic make-up of the holy city.
(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)
