PA Receives Assurances That Elections Will Take Place in Jerusalem

 Head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser during a press conference on Saturday, January 16, 2021 (Wafa News Agency)
Head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser during a press conference on Saturday, January 16, 2021 (Wafa News Agency)
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PA Receives Assurances That Elections Will Take Place in Jerusalem

 Head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser during a press conference on Saturday, January 16, 2021 (Wafa News Agency)
Head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser during a press conference on Saturday, January 16, 2021 (Wafa News Agency)

Palestinian factions will meet in Cairo this week to settle any differences that could hinder holding general elections in the Palestinian territory, according to the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC).

In a press statement in Ramallah, Chairman of the CEC Hanna Nasser said the factions will meet to resolve some technical issues necessary to hold fair and transparent elections.

The meeting in Cairo will be short and will result in a charter of honor for factions to abide by.

“There are no guarantees that elections will be held in the occupied Jerusalem until the moment,” Nasser affirmed, hoping they would take place under certain pressures.

“We have other alternatives, and what is important is that people from Jerusalem can take part in the election,” he added.

On Friday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed a presidential decree announcing dates for the first Palestinian elections in more than 15 years.

He set the date of legislative polls for May 22 and a July 31 presidential vote.

“The President instructed the election committee and all state apparatuses of the state to launch a democratic election process in all cities of the homeland,” the decree said, referring to the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Pa had received assurances from European and Arab countries that elections will be held in Jerusalem.

The sources said that Israel did not approve the election activity yet.

However, several states and parties have promised to ensure that the residents of Jerusalem will be able to participate in the upcoming elections, sources added.

Palestinians in Jerusalem participated twice before in the elections. The first was in the 2005 presidential elections and the second was in the 2006 legislative elections.

Hamas welcomed Abbas’s announcement, saying: “We have worked in past months to resolve all obstacles so that we can reach this day.”

The Palestinian people have the to right choose their leaders and representatives, Hamas noted.

Secretary-General of the Palestinian Central Committee of Fatah Movement Jibril Rajoub said issuing the presidential decree was the first step to revive democracy and build a political system that contributes to achieving unity.



UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

The UN aid chief said Wednesday that recent "horrifying scenes" of Gazans being killed while seeking food aid were the result of "deliberate choices that have systematically deprived" them of essentials to survive.

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of its facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centers were "considered combat zones".

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates.

On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.

"The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

"Emergency medical teams have confirmed treating hundreds of trauma cases. Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire.

"This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive."

He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children," said Fletcher.

The GHF began operations a week ago, but the UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Meanwhile the United Nations has described the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, as a trickle.

"We must be allowed to do our jobs: we have the teams, the plan, the supplies and the experience," said Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"Open the crossings -- all of them. Let in life-saving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in.

"Ensure our convoys aren't held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire."