The Palestinian leadership will discuss all options related to the upcoming elections, said member of the Fatah Central Committee and the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee Azzam al-Ahmad.
Ahead of a meeting by the PLO Executive Committee on Sunday, Ahmad said participants will mainly tackle the polls as they insist that they also take place in Jerusalem.
In statements broadcast by the official radio station, he pointed out that President Mahmoud Abbas will review the most significant contacts with various international parties “to take the right decision in case Israel bans elections in Jerusalem.”
Sunday’s meeting was preceded by a meeting of the PLO factions, which refused to hold polls without including Jerusalem. The Fatah Central Committee will meet on Monday.
“Israel continues to carry out its aggressive policies towards the capital of the Palestinian state,” Ahmad stressed, citing the Israelis’ storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacks against religious sites, churches and mosques.
He further pointed to the latest settlement expansion, the confiscation and demolition of Palestinian people’s homes, which have increased since Abbas declared that elections will be held.
Ahmad highlighted the obstacles placed by Israel, even during the consultation meetings, such as the arrest of various electoral candidates.
Israel arrested on Saturday three Palestinian candidates in Jerusalem after it had prevented authorities from holding a press briefing about the polls. The Palestinians slammed the move as an attempt to prevent the elections from being held in Jerusalem.
Israeli special forces had surrounded the St. George Hotel Jerusalem where candidates were scheduled to hold their press conference, eventually arresting three of them.
Israel bars any official Palestinian activity in Jerusalem, which it considers as the capital of its own state.
