Brussels | The postponement of the Palestinian elections, the first in fifteen years, is “deeply disappointing”, said Friday the head of the diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, calling on Israel to facilitate this poll in all the territories “including Jerusalem. Is”.
“A new date must be set without delay,” said Josep Borrell, after the announcement of the postponement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as long as the holding of the poll was not “guaranteed” in East Jerusalem, part of the holy city annexed by Israel.
The EU has “consistently expressed its support for credible, inclusive and transparent elections for all Palestinians,” recalls the senior European official.
“We strongly encourage all Palestinian actors to resume their efforts” to continue the discussions which took place recently, he added, calling for “calm and restraint for all in this delicate period”.
“We have decided to postpone the date of the elections until (…) our people can exercise their democratic rights in Jerusalem,” Mahmoud Abbas said overnight after a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) relating to the legislative elections scheduled for May 22.
In the wake of this decision, the Palestinian Election Commission announced the cessation of its activities aimed at preparing for the elections announced in early January as part of a “reconciliation” project between the secular Fatah party of Mahmoud Abbas and the Islamists of Hamas, two big sections of Palestinian politics.
