September 11, 2026 Categories: Op-Eds
The Palestinian Authority Tries to Bully Israel on the Jerusalem Issue
{Reposted from the JCPA website}
The PA launched an international campaign against Israel to bully and force it to agree to the participation of east Jerusalem residents in parliamentary elections on May 22, 2021.
At a meeting of the Palestinian government, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh revealed that the Palestinian Authority had sent letters on the issue to the UN, the European Union, the United States, and Russia, explaining that from their perspective, there was no impediment to allowing east Jerusalem residents to participate in the elections as they did in the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections.
Wasel Abu Yousuf, a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee, said that the participation of east Jerusalem residents in the parliamentary elections was of great importance when Israel was trying to make the city its unified capital.
Senior PA officials say that the PA wants to use the campaign for the participation of east Jerusalem residents to quash and erase the Trump administration’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The PA sent an official letter to Israel in February of this year requesting its approval for the participation of east Jerusalem residents in the elections. Israel responded with an official letter that a response would be given after the Knesset elections. The PA has not received any official response from Israel. The EU also appealed to Israel’s Minister of Justice last month to approve of the arrival of international observers to the West Bank and east Jerusalem in preparation for the elections.
The EU has not received a response from Israel, either. However, Israel’s political echelon dispatched General Security Services (SHABAK) Chief Nadav Argaman to Ramallah for a meeting with the PA chairman, insisting that he cancel the elections due to the danger of Hamas participation for the security of the PA and Israel.
Mahmoud Abbas rejected the Israeli demand outright, and he also turned down a similar request from Egypt and Jordan.
Meanwhile, things have gotten complicated inside the Fatah arena: Marwan Barghouti (sitting in prison for five terrorist murders) decided to establish a joint list with Nasser al-Qudwa (Yasser Arafat’s nephew) to run in the parliamentary elections, which threatens to overwhelm Mahmoud Abbas’ party list. In this scenario, the Fatah movement will run on three separate tickets (led by Mahmoud Abbas, Barghouti/al-Qudwa, and Muhammad Dahlan). This split will weaken Fatah and increase Hamas’ chances of winning the elections.
