Although more than a week has passed since the Palestinian government officially requested Israeli permission to have East Jerusalemites participate in the expected Palestinian elections, the Israelis have yet to respond, leaving the issue of the elections in doubt.

The Oslo Accord has allowed for Palestinians to vote absentee using Jerusalem-based post office centers. Anis F. Kassim, editor of the Palestine Yearbook of International Law, told Al-Monitor that the Israeli hesitation in supporting the rights of East Jerusalem residents to participate in the upcoming Palestinian elections is very telling. “Jerusalem is internationally sanctioned as an occupied territory and Israel acknowledged under the Oslo Accords that Jerusalem is subject to negotiations, which by implication means that it isn’t settled as Israeli territory.”

Palestinian general elections that have included the participation of Jerusalemites have taken place in 1996, 2005 and 2006. Municipal elections for the West Bank only, without Gaza or East Jerusalem, took place in 2012 and 2017.

Arguments are flowing in all directions as to whether the ruling Fatah party or even Hamas really wants elections or not and whether an Israeli obstacle regarding Jerusalem will become a convenient excuse to continue delaying elections.