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Abbas conditions PA elections on polling stations in Jerusalem

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has made East Jerusalem polling stations a requirement for elections for the Palestinian Parliament.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas casts his vote for municipal elections at a polling station in Al-Bireh, next to the West Bank city of Ramallah, October 20, 2012.   REUTERS/Abbas Momami/Pool (WEST BANK - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - GM1E8AK1G8301
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is making elections for the parliament and chairmanship of the Palestinian Authority conditional on the placing of polling stations in East Jerusalem. He first said so at the United Nations General Assembly summit in September and then reiterated his position at a meeting of the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah Oct. 6. He also revealed that the PLO and Fatah formed two committees to looking into the issue of holding elections, together with the relevant parties. Who are those relevant parties? The political leadership in Israel, which would have to allow these Palestinian elections to be held in East Jerusalem too. Abbas' decision to make parliamentary elections conditional on whether Israel allows residents of East Jerusalem to vote further complicates an already complex issue.

Given the current circumstances, with Israel and the Palestinian Authority feuding over any activity by the PA in East Jerusalem, setting up polling stations for Palestinians living in East Jerusalem has particular significance. Two years ago, the police arrested 17 residents of East Jerusalem suspected of helping the Palestinian Authority conduct a census in that part of the city. A year ago, Minister of Internal Security Gilad Erdan issued a closure order for an event organized by the PA in East Jerusalem. He also banned an event organized by the PA to mark the end of the Ramadan fast there in June 2018 and shut down another event organized by the PA this March on Jerusalem’s Salah ad-Din Street. All of this was based on the principle of not giving the PA any foothold whatsoever in Jerusalem.

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