The Palestine Authority (PA) yesterday urged the Quartet on the Middle East to pressure Israel into allowing Palestinian parliamentary elections to take place in occupied East Jerusalem, Wafa news agency reported.
In a letter sent by PA Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Riyad al-Maliki to the members of the Quartet – UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, EU Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Palestinian official highlighted the steps taken towards holding elections in May, including updating the electoral register and accepting the lists of electoral candidates.
🚨Israeli Occupation Forces arrested director of Fatah Movement in Jerusalem Adel Abu Zneid after preventing from holding consultative meeting about participation of people of Jerusalem in elections. pic.twitter.com/I6Abwy6FVC
— MSDR NEWS (@NewsMsdr) April 6, 2021
He stressed the importance of holding the elections, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem, in line with international law.
Al-Maliki reiterated the need for the Quartet to immediately intervene to pressure Israel, the occupying power, to allow Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem to participate in the elections through casting their votes, running as electoral candidates, and campaigning.
PA demands elections in eastern Jerusalem https://t.co/HBYU2JYDbo via ArutzSheva_En pic.twitter.com/iqcU1jiQU0
— Israel News Links (@IsraelNewsLinks) April 6, 2021
He noted that the presidential decree on elections stipulates holding elections in all the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, while reiterating the leadership’s firm position that elections will not be carried out if Israel prevents them from being held in Jerusalem.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
