Palestinian Factions, Fatah Refuse to Hold Elections without Jerusalem

An electoral worker leaves the Palestinian Central Elections Commission's office in Gaza City (Reuters)
An electoral worker leaves the Palestinian Central Elections Commission's office in Gaza City (Reuters)
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Palestinian Factions, Fatah Refuse to Hold Elections without Jerusalem

An electoral worker leaves the Palestinian Central Elections Commission's office in Gaza City (Reuters)
An electoral worker leaves the Palestinian Central Elections Commission's office in Gaza City (Reuters)

Palestinian factions announced their support to the Fatah movement which refused to hold elections if Israel did not allow them in Jerusalem.

Member of Fatah Central Committee Hussein al-Sheikh asserted that the elections will take place, adding that Jerusalem is a major issue and “we will not sell Jerusalem for the sake of the elections.”

Sheikh told local radio that Fatah sent an official letter to Israel over two months ago, requesting permission to hold elections in East Jerusalem in accordance with the signed agreements. However, they haven't received an answer till this moment.

He asserted that the decision to hold the elections is purely Palestinian, and no one is allowed to interfere, reiterating that there won’t be elections without Jerusalem, otherwise it is “a recognition of the deal of the century, with Jerusalem as capital of Israel.”

He announced that Fatah is preparing for a single and unified national position of all Palestinian organizations and factions that confirms holding elections in all the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

The Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Front, Wasel Abu Yousef, said that holding elections in Jerusalem is of special importance, in light of the occupation’s attempts to exclude it and enforce the “deal of the century.”

Abu Yusef, who is also a member of the PLO's Executive Committee, told Voice of Palestine radio that it is not acceptable to exclude Jerusalem from the elections.

Member of the People’s Party politburo, Walid al-Awad, warned that it is not permissible to remove the city from the electoral process under any pretext, stressing that this issue is non-negotiable.

He called on the international community to pressure the occupation to prevent disrupting the elections.

On Saturday, Hamas politburo member Mohammad Nazzal said that Hamas is against postponing the elections on the pretext that they will not be allowed in Jerusalem, calling for finding suitable alternatives to hold them in a way that does not disrupt the process.

The issue of holding elections in Jerusalem remains controversial and raises concerns about canceling the long-awaited polls.

Concern began to grow among Europeans and Palestinians after Israel refused to allow the EU’s election observation missions (EUEOMS) into Palestine.

EU media official in Jerusalem Shadi Othman confirmed that Israel still hasn’t allowed the EU mission into Palestine to monitor the upcoming legislative elections.

Othman asserted that the EU supports holding elections in all Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, to achieve a fair, transparent, and democratic process.

He urged Israel not to obstruct the process, adding that the EU believes that the agreements signed between the Israelis and the Palestinians stipulate that elections should be held in East Jerusalem.

Palestinian legislative elections are set to be held on May 22nd.


The Central Elections Commissions (CEC) announced that 36 electoral lists have submitted applications for nomination, saying it has completed the applications of all lists without rejecting any.



Marzouki’s Case Referred to Anti-Terrorism Unit, Former Tunisian President Faces 20 New Charges

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (AFP)
Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (AFP)
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Marzouki’s Case Referred to Anti-Terrorism Unit, Former Tunisian President Faces 20 New Charges

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (AFP)
Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (AFP)

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki announced on Tuesday that he had been informed his case had been transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Judicial Unit. He now faces 20 charges, including inciting internal unrest and spreading false information.
Marzouki wrote on X that his brother, Mokhles, was summoned on Monday to the police station of El Kantaoui (governorate of Sousse) to sign a document stating that Moncef Marzouki’s case had been referred to the Anti-Terrorist Judicial Unit.
Marzouki wrote that he had already been convicted to four and eight years in prison in two separate cases.
He concluded his post with a famous quote borrowed from Abu al-Qasim al-Shabi, “Night will no doubt dissipate.”
Last February, a Tunisian court sentenced former president Moncef Marzouki to eight years in prison in absentia.
The charges against Marzouki, who lives in Paris, stemmed from remarks he made that authorities said violated laws and triggered incitement to overthrow the government.
Marzouki served as the first democratically elected president of Tunisia from 2011 to 2014.
This is the second time Moncef Marzouki has been sentenced for comments made at demonstrations and on social media. In December 2021, he received a four-year sentence for undermining state security.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Defence Minister Khaled S'hili announced that Tunisia's national army had dismantled terrorist camps, neutralized 62 landmines, and seized various materials and equipment in 2024, as part of ongoing efforts in the fight against terrorism.
As of October 31, the Tunisian army had conducted 990 anti-terrorist operations in suspected areas, including large-scale operations in the country's mountainous regions. These operations involved over 19,500 military personnel, according to Defense Minister Khaled S'hili, speaking at a joint session of the two chambers of parliament.
He then confirmed that these operations led to the arrest of around 695 smugglers and the seizure of 375,000 drug pills.