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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
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