Abbas delays Palestinian elections, citing Israel’s refusal to allow Jerusalem vote – Palestinians – Haaretz.com
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday delayed planned elections, blaming Israel for uncertainty about whether it would allow them to proceed in East Jerusalem as well as in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.“We have decided to postpone the election until the participation of our people in Jerusalem is guaranteed,” said Abbas in a speech on Palestinian TV. How Bibi’s Jewish supremacists fanned the flames in Jerusalem. LISTENSubscribe0:00– : –15Skip 15 seconds backwardsPlay audio15Skip 15 seconds ahead1XChange playback rate from 1 to 1.25Mute audioThe decision came three months after he announced the first national elections for 15 years in what was widely seen as a response to criticism of the democratic legitimacy of Palestinian institutions, including his own presidency. Earlier on Thursday evening, Abbas said that disputes with Israel over holding legislative elections in East Jerusalem might mean the vote – Palestinians’ first since 2006 – be delayed.“As soon as Israel agrees” to let Palestinians vote in Jerusalem, “we’ll hold the election within a week,” Abbas told a meeting of representatives of most Palestinian factions in Ramallah, providing no clear timeline.
0
0
20
20
