Eduardo González
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, expressed yesterday with her Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Malki, the “strong support” of Spain to the holding of elections in Palestine and asked Israel to allow the elections in East Jerusalem and facilitate the entry of the EU observer team, in which “Spain is willing to participate”.
The Palestinian Authority has called parliamentary elections for May 22, presidential elections for July 31 and the Palestinian National Council for August 31. These are the first elections since 2006. Nabil Shaaz, chief adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, admitted this week that the polls could be postponed in case Israel does not allow voting in East Jerusalem, considered occupied territory by the international community.
“Spain strongly supports the holding of Palestinian elections, 15 years after the last ones,” considering that they are “crucial to strengthen the democratic process and legitimize Palestinian institutions and reinforce Palestinian leadership”, Gonzalez Laya said during a joint press conference with the Palestinian Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Minister at the ministerial headquarters of the Palacio de Viana in Madrid. “The fact that 93% of voters have registered” reflects “the desire of Palestinians to express themselves at the ballot box”, she added.
“We are convinced that the elections will also benefit Israel”, which “has successively called for credible leadership” that will allow “progress in bilateral negotiations and in the peace process”, she continued. For this reason, she warned, it is necessary that the elections can be held “in all the occupied Palestinian territories, also in East Jerusalem”, in accordance with the stipulations of “the Oslo agreements”.
“Spain is willing to participate in a mission of EU election observation experts and we ask the Government of Israel to facilitate the presence of the team” in order to “adequately guarantee the cleanliness of the democratic process”, the minister declared. She also assured that the EU and Spain remain committed to “Israel’s security” and, therefore, the establishment of legitimate institutions in Palestine through the elections “will be beneficial for the peace negotiations” and will help to find a solution based on “two States living side by side, in peace and security”.
For his part, Riyad Malki – who arrived in Madrid as part of a European tour that included Brussels, Luxembourg and London – warned that it is “very important that elections be held in all occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem”, and therefore expressed his “concern about the way the Israeli occupation has reacted to Palestinian activities related to the elections in East Jerusalem, closing premises, not allowing meetings and arresting candidates”.
“We have shared this concern with our friends, colleagues and allies, in particular with the EU and with Spain, a very close country that understands the very important need for democratic elections in Palestine”, continued Al Malki, who appealed to the “mutual responsibility of Palestine and Spain” so that “the elections are held on schedule and without external interference from the Israeli military occupation and the Israeli authorities”. “We need a strong voice in Spain, the EU and the international community to support democratic elections in Palestine and to call on Israel to allow elections without interfering in them, particularly in East Jerusalem”, he concluded.
