EU gives lip service to Palestinian elections once again

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The EU’s Joseph Borrell

By Jim W. Dean, Managing Editor

EU’s Borrell calls on Israel to facilitate elections across all Palestinian territories

…from PressTV, Tehran

[ Editor’s Note:  The Palestinians now have two boots on their neck, Israel’s and Mr. Abbas’. He knew that Israel would refuse his fake request for election polls in East Jerusalem, and that is what he wanted.

Why? Because he knows the majority of Palestinians know he is hanging on to power purely for the sake of having it. He has never groomed any leadership to come behind him, revealing he wants it all for himself, literally dying in office.

The Israeli government is his partner in crime because it is just fine with the weak, selfish, non-threatening Abbas, and wants to block Hamas rising to power, hence postponing elections suits both.

It is a great irony, as we see a similar struggle taking place in the Israeli election, contenders seeking power not to serve the public, but to serve themselves. Israelis are so sick of “it’s all about Bibi”.

A coalition of political parties with divergent views is considering making compromises they all can live with under a united banner of “anyone but Bibi”.

The Islamic party is even in play with the latest attempt for a new coalition that can form a government, as the others do not have the numbers to break the magic 60 number without it.

Netanyahu is desperate to remain in power so that he can find some way to stop his corruption trial. This was put on display when he tried, illegally, to replace the current justice minister with his hand picked replacement, whom he could rely on to stop his trials.

What followed was an historic cabinet meeting where charges were hurled at each side that they did not have the authority to declare themselves the ruling power. The current Justice ministers said only the Justice Minister could name his replacement. Bibi lost.

And as a bonus, all the other former fractioned parties seem to now see that they must make whatever sacrifices are needed to form a government.

They have a new understanding banner uniting them all, that says ‘No more Netanyahu tyranny…we have had enough’. Bibi’s window to form a government ends at midnight on Saturday. Expect the final deals that parties have been saving for the last minute to start being unveiled Saturday night… Jim W. Dean ]

The EU’s Joseph Borrell

First published … April 30, 2021

The European Union has urged Israel to ensure that elections are held across the Palestinian territory, including in East Jerusalem al-Quds, expressing regret over a postponement of planned parliamentary polls.

“We reiterate our call on Israel to facilitate the holding of such elections across all of the Palestinian territory, including in East Jerusalem,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a written statement on Friday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas postponed the parliamentary elections amid a dispute over voting in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem al-Quds, as well as splits in his Fatah movement and its unpopularity.

Abbas told a conference of senior Palestinian officials on Thursday night that the first Palestinian national elections in 15 years would be indefinitely delayed.

The dispute over East Jerusalem al-Quds was reportedly the official rationale for the postponement cited by Abbas in a speech early Friday following the meeting of Palestinian political factions.

In his statement, Borrell described the decision to postpone the planned elections as “deeply disappointing” and said the EU has repeatedly thrown its weight behind “credible, inclusive and transparent elections for all Palestinians.”

“We firmly believe that strong, inclusive, accountable and functioning democratic Palestinian institutions based on respect for the rule of law and human rights are vital for the Palestinian people, for democratic legitimacy and, ultimately, for the two-state solution,” he added.

The top EU official said, “We strongly encourage all Palestinian actors to resume efforts to build on the successful talks between the factions over recent months.”

He also emphasized the need to set a new date for elections without delay.

He called for calm and restraint “from all actors at this sensitive time” and expressed the bloc’s readiness to “work with all those involved to facilitate EU observation of any electoral process.”

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for President Abbas, told the Voice of Palestine radio station on Tuesday that Israeli authorities have so far refused to agree to European observers monitoring the Palestinian elections, and that the European Union is yet to receive an approval.

The official called for international help to remove the hurdles put by the Israeli regime to undermine the Palestinian polls, particularly in East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Abu Rudeineh reiterated the Palestinian stance that there will be no elections without al-Quds.

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