Middle East Monitor / April 6, 2021
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.
He stressed the importance of holding the elections, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem, in line with international law.
He 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.
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.
