Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced on Monday that he has received assurances from the US that the Palestinians would be permitted to vote in Jerusalem for the parliamentary election late this month. "Today, for the first time, we received from the Americans assurances that the elections will be held in Jerusalem," he said during a press conference in Gaza City.
Abbas said he spoke to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday and was given a message from US President George W. Bush on Monday giving him assurances that Israel would allow the vote in Jerusalem to go ahead.
He stressed, nevertheless, that the PA still hadn't heard similar assurances from Israel. "We are receiving contradictory messages from the Israelis," Abbas said. "Once they tell us that we would be allowed to hold the vote in Jerusalem, and another time they say we can't. Now that we have received American guarantees, the elections in Jerusalem will be held on the basis of the 1996 model [where voters cast their ballots at Israeli post office branches]."
Abbas threatened to call off the election if Israel did not allow the vote to take place in Jerusalem. He said he had informed all Palestinian factions of his decision to cancel the election if Jerusalem was excluded. Abbas also urged the factions to work toward ending lawlessness and anarchy in PA-controlled areas, saying that he had instructed the PA security forces to deal harshly with anyone who tries to disrupt the electoral process. "I have instructed the security forces to use force to prevent any attempt to sabotage the democratic process," he said.
Meanwhile, high-ranking Fatah official Kadura Faras said in an interview with Channel 2 on Monday evening that Abbas would likely retire if Hamas won the parliamentary elections. In such a situation, according to Faras, Hamas would stand at the head of the Palestinian Authority.
What does the Bush Administration hope to gain by dismissing the sovereignty of the Israelis - a peaceful mid-east occupation? And if you think that allowing all Palestinian political parties the right to campaign freely in East Jerusalem is a small concession for any Israeli Administration to grant to the Palestinians - think again.
It’s not only the potential security threat that these organizations pose to ordinary Israeli citizens of Jerusalem but this time Hamas (an organization designated by even the United States as a terrorist’s organization) will be actively campaigning in East Jerusalem. A cornerstone of the Hamas platform is the annihilation and destruction of the Jewish state. The last thing I would want to hear ringing in my ears if I were to pray at the Kotel (Wailing Wall) is Hamas’ campaign slogan which I believe is still “Death to the Zionists” coming from a rally being held on the Temple Mount or be standing as the kassams rained down from above.
The Jerusalem Newswire Service and Debkafile have more.
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