Israel has refused to allow Palestinian election officials to enter Gaza and occupied East Jerusalem to prepare for upcoming legislative elections, raising fresh fears that the long-delayed vote could once again be postponed, Palestinian officials said on Tuesday.
The Palestinian Central Elections Commission is due to oversee preparations for legislative polls scheduled for November 28. But the reported restrictions threaten to complicate efforts to hold a vote across all Palestinian territories and revive concerns over Israel’s role in obstructing Palestinian political participation.
Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, reported that Israel had denied the commission access to Gaza and occupied East Jerusalem, citing a Palestinian official.
Israel’s defence ministry and COGAT, the Israeli body responsible for civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, did not respond to AFP requests for comment.
Palestinian election commission vows to continue
Despite the restrictions, Palestinian election officials say preparations will continue.
Farid Taamallah, spokesperson for the Central Elections Commission, said that the body could still hold the elections, saying its employees in Gaza had already been trained and were present on the ground.
“The Commission is continuing to organise the electoral process despite the Israeli decision,” Taamallah said.
The European Union has also stepped up its support for the vote.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was “ready to deploy” election observers, stressing that Palestinians have the right to choose their representatives through elections that are “credible, inclusive and transparent.”
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh called for European backing to overcome obstacles to elections and ensure participation by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza.
A vote two decades overdue
The November election would be the first Palestinian legislative vote since 2006, when Hamas secured victory over Fatah.
The Palestinian Legislative Council has not met since 2007, when political divisions between the rival factions deepened.
The election was previously scheduled for 2021 but was postponed indefinitely, with President Mahmoud Abbas citing Israel’s refusal to allow voting in occupied East Jerusalem.
Abbas, whose presidential term expired in 2009, won the last Palestinian presidential election in 2005 and has governed largely by decree since then.
Fears of another delay
The prospect of another postponement has already grown.
In September, senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub said the legislative election would not take place on schedule and suggested holding presidential elections first.
An August poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center found that only 29 percent of Palestinians expected the November vote to proceed as planned.
With Palestinians having gone nearly two decades without legislative elections, the reported Israeli restrictions add another major obstacle to a process already burdened by occupation and repeated delays.
