Given that Israel held four elections in the span of only two years, Palestine believes it is appropriate for them to have at least one, Minister Malki explained. Both foreign ministers underlined the importance of having free and fair elections for the Palestinian regions this year.
Parliamentary elections are supposed to be held on 22 May, while presidential elections will take place on 31 July. According to Minister Malki, Israel is still actively trying to stop that from happening, with the most notable opposition coming from East Jerusalem: “Over the past weeks, we held election meetings, which were first interrupted by local security forces and ended with candidates being arrested.”
Minister Asselborn emphasised that candidates need to be free to campaign without fear of persecution. The EU has long been in support of Palestinian elections: “It would be the first election in 16 years. 93% of people have already registered to vote, which is a lot. It is great to see such enthusiasm, especially among younger people.”
On Wednesday morning, Minister Asselborn is set to meet the Israeli ambassador. The LSAP politician conveyed that he will try and persuade the diplomat of the importance of free Palestinian elections, especially in East Jerusalem.
Naturally, the Tuesday visit was also marked by the pandemic. Minister Malki expressed his dismay over the lack of vaccine doses that Israel provided to his people: “According to international rights, Israel is obligated to provide vaccines to people living under its occupation. Now, they are proud to be the first country in the world when it comes to vaccinating their own, but completely neglect us at the same time. It is a violation of international rights.”
In Palestine, 25 people die everyday in relation to the coronavirus, and they experience a daily average of 2,000 new infections.
