Undermining the peace camp
By Ghassan Khatib
...The public reasons behind the Israeli threat to prevent elections in Jerusalem are firstly its position that East Jerusalem was annexed to Israel and therefore it refuses to accept the legal and internationally accepted definition of East Jerusalem as being under military occupation and secondly, the fact that some of the candidates recognize neither Israel nor the peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinian
side.
The actual reason, however, is different. Israel, behind the scenes and through third parties, has been using its leverage to indirectly bargain with Hamas. Since Hamas is eager to take part in these elections, and since some elements within the PA and Fatah might seize on the Israeli position as an excuse to cancel or postpone elections, Israel has used this as a bargaining chip to make Hamas stop launching rockets from Gaza.
Nevertheless, and in spite of Israel's recent declarations that it will allow elections in Jerusalem, in practice, and until now, candidates and campaigners, whether from Jerusalem or from other parts of the Palestinian territory, haven't been allowed to campaign in East Jerusalem. Non-Jerusalemite Palestinians, not only from Gaza but also
from the West Bank, are not allowed even to enter Jerusalem to campaign. In some cases, Israel is also selective in dealing with Jerusalemite candidates in a way that goes beyond discriminating only against Hamas candidates, prejudicial as this is in the first place.
The irony here, which may or may not be understood by the political echelon in Israel, is that its attitude and behavior on the issue of elections in Jerusalem has been benefiting the Palestinian opposition and mainly Hamas.
Ghassan Khatib is the Palestinian Authority minister of planning.
Published by arrangement with Bitterlemons (www.bitterlemons.org)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=671878&contrassID=2