Israel must permit Palestinians to cast their vote in East Jerusalem, five present and former European Union associates of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) pleaded on Thursday.
“We call on the Israeli authorities to facilitate the holding of elections across all of the Palestinian territories, including in East Jerusalem, in line with commitments made in the Oslo Accords as well as to facilitate the participation of international observers across all of the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem,” the countries held.
Estonia, France, Ireland, Belgium, and Germany delivered the statement in the convening of the UNSC’s monthly assembly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Germany and Belgium concluded their UNSC term in 2020, yet still signed onto the statement made on Thursday.
Palestinian officials have loomed to the postponement or cancelation of the elections, citing Israel’s failure to respond to their appeal to hold the vote in Jerusalem.
The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, is “facing a real dilemma,” one official held to a news agency. “If he cancels the elections, he will be accused by his political rivals of depriving the Palestinians of the chance to elect their representatives. If, on the other hand, he holds the elections in Jerusalem, he will be accused of submitting to Israeli dictates.”
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on Britain to employ pressure on Israel to permit Jerusalem Arabs who hold Israeli-issued ID cards to run as candidates and cast their votes in the parliamentary and presidential elections, scheduled for May 22 and July 31, respectively.
Shtayyeh’s petition came during a gathering he held in Ramallah with British Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and the British Consul-General in Jerusalem, Philip Hall.
