Press Releases / Civic Forum Releases:

Israeli occupation forces escalate their violations against the Palestinian election process in Occupied Jerusalem.

December 31, 2004

In spite of the declared "understandings" and "arrangements" allegedly reached between the Palestinian and Israeli sides pertaining the participation of Palestinian Jerusalemites in the election process, and the reservations on the details of the "understandings" clause are yet to be made public. The Israeli occupation forces have escalated violations and enforced more obstructions on the election process’ preparations. This Israeli escalation is a flagrant violation to these "understandings" and "arrangements" that fall short of meeting the minimum national needs and dignity preserving requirements.

We at the Elections Monitoring Civil Committee would like to note a number of Israeli violations and obstructions recorded in the last few days against the activities of the election campaigns and preparations. The most significant of those violations are:

First: Continued pursuit and arrest of activists working for the presidential candidates' campaigns, as they have been warned not to conduct any campaign activities without coordination with the Israeli police.

Second: Continued harassment of some presidential candidates, limiting and prohibiting their movement within the Holy City; conditioning their activities to prior coordination with the Israeli occupation police, and compelling them not to make any public campaigning activities but behind closed doors.

Third: Forcing the candidates and their campaign activists to limit posting their campaign flyers and posters on boards belonging to the Israeli occupation municipal council in return for fees paid to that council.

Fourth: Israeli police conducted a massive search within Jerusalem to tear away and destroy posters, flyers and any other campaign materials posted in or near shops and houses.

Fifth: Despite the official Israeli declaration committed not to violate the citizens' rights to stay in Jerusalem and the talk on international guarantees, including American ones in this regard, Israeli sources spread rumors warning Palestinians in Jerusalem against participating in the elections otherwise they would be stripped of their right to stay in the city.

Sixth: The Elections Monitoring Civil Committee criticizes Palestinians who signed those "understandings and arrangements" with Israeli occupation forces for not taking into consideration the many developments and changes that took place since 1996 and the current Palestinian elections in Occupied Jerusalem. The most important of these developments and changes is the Israeli created Apartheid Wall that obstructs voters’ movement and access to the polling centers outside municipal borders, taking into consideration that the arrangements for voting inside post offices only serve 5376 voters out of more than 100.000 voters in Jerusalem. This would discourage the majority of Jerusalemite voters to exercise their democratic right because of the countless roadblocks and road closures imposed by the Israeli forces.

For the above mentioned reasons, we at the Elections Monitoring Civil Committee warn against continuing the escalation of Israeli violations that had serious negative implications on the election process and on the citizens’ participation in Occupied Jerusalem.

We call on the Palestinian delegation that signed the latest "understandings and arrangements" agreement with Israel for the participation of Palestinian Jerusalemites in the election process to follow up with the Israeli violations. In addition, the Palestinian delegation must inform the international community and observation committees on these gross violations. We also call on the international observation committees to engage the Israeli occupation authorities to cease these aggressions and violations; in a collective effort to conclude a proper democratic election process away from external interference and influence.


Elections Monitoring Civil Committee

Jerusalem