With reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas having reached an impasse, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the dissolution of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) on Dec. 22 and called for legislative elections to be held within six months. The move also highlights another Palestinian divide in returning the status of East Jerusalem to the spotlight, renewing the struggle with Israel over allowing residents there to vote in Palestinian elections.

On Dec. 24 at the presidential compound in Ramallah, Abbas met with Hanna Nasser, head of the Central Elections Commission (CEC), to discuss the elections. There was no mention of East Jerusalem or the participation of Jerusalemites. On Jan. 4, however, Abbas said, “We will not accept the holding of elections if they do not take place in Jerusalem too. Back in 2006, Israel objected to holding elections in Jerusalem, but I stood my ground until the elections were actually held in the city.” 

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics in May, Palestinians living in East Jerusalem number 332,000. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported in March that they number 435,000. In the recently dissolved PLC, eight deputies represented the city, five from Hamas and three from Fatah.

Amin Maqboul, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, told Al-Monitor, “In every [Palestinian] legislative race, Israel announces its rejection of voting in Jerusalem. This was the case in 1996 and 2006 and in the 2005 presidential elections. The Palestinian leadership, however, remains steadfast every time, deploying efforts to galvanize the international community into pressuring Israel to finally yield to their demand to hold elections [there].”