PALESTINE ELECTIONS MUST BE RESCHEDULED WITH THE FULL BACKING OF THE EU AND THE U.S.

Europe and the UN have done little more than express regret at the delay and call for new election dates. The planned Palestinian elections need and deserve steadfast outside support. Foreign powers should do all they can to get the vote back on track, not only offering the PA the assistance it needs to bring off all three rounds of elections smoothly but also strongly discouraging Israel from continuing to derail the process. They should make clear that they will honour the election outcome and continue working relations with whichever Palestinian government emerges, subject only to that government committing to respect international law (including prohibitions on violence against civilians). Israel should abide by its obligations under the foundational documents of the Oslo peace process not to hinder Palestinians’ exercise of the franchise.

To move forward:

• Western governments should make a clear and unequivocal commitment to the Palestinian democratic process, call for the immediate announcement of new dates for the holding of all three rounds of Palestinian elections, and stand behind their completion on those dates. They also should work with the parties to de-escalate any immediate tensions resulting from the announcement of postponed elections, especially amid violence in East Jerusalem and between Gaza and Israel that could easily spread to the West Bank. They should call on Israel to desist from provocative policing measures in East Jerusalem.
• Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, should, in dialogue with the relevant Palestinian factions, continue steps to promote reconciliation and agreements regarding the future conduct of elections. They should discourage Fatah and Hamas from responding in destructive ways to the postponement and from any further curtailing of democratic space in civil society. Given the stated opposition of Hamas and other factions to Fatah’s reversal of elections, this would best include a credible commitment to seeing through a rescheduled vote.
• In encouraging elections to take place on the newly announced dates, the Quartet, in particular the U.S. and EU, should state that they intend to respect the outcome of elections, and clarify that they will determine their engagement with a future Palestinian government based on its commitment to resolving the conflict and acting in accordance with international law.  The Quartet should also urge Israel to enable and facilitate voting for East Jerusalem Palestinians in accordance with signed agreements and previous practice, setting out consequences and response steps in the event of Israel’s failure to comply. Likewise, they should urge Israel to desist from threats and actions of intimidating, detaining and imprisoning candidates and their supporters, and to remove restrictions on campaigning and freedom of movement.
• Europeans and others should be ready to deploy election observers, including preparatory missions, in the lead-up to elections, with necessary precautions taken for COVID-19, and should demand the necessary cooperation from Israel to allow this deployment. They should continue to give technical and practical support to the Central Elections Commission and the work of civil society electoral monitoring bodies.

For its part, the government of Israel continues to renege on commitments made in signed agreements, including with regard to the Palestinian vote in East Jerusalem. While this is nothing new and is inherent to Israel's entrenched occupation of Palestinian territories, Israel should consider that the further hollowing and delegitimising of Palestinian institutions risks a backlash that has both security and political implications. Ideally, it would abide by relevant clauses of the Oslo framework, notably those pertaining to allowing East Jerusalem Palestinians to cast their votes; desist from politically motivated detentions, arrests and other actions that contribute to more tensions and create an atmosphere of intimidation; and facilitate movement between the West Bank and Gaza in ways that enable candidates to campaign more effectively.

Finally, the Palestinian leadership should announce, in short order, a new schedule for all three rounds of elections and adhere to that schedule in full. Promises to renew reconciliation talks with Hamas and other factions are not a substitute for elections, nor are they likely to make progress against the backdrop of postponed elections. The Palestinian authorities should also desist from political arrests and intimidation of candidates or lists and aim to create an atmosphere of trust, stability and safety during the campaign.

Elections in the occupied Palestinian territories, if they go ahead, will not be free and fair in any universally recognisable sense. The circumstances under which any Palestinian election takes place – Israeli occupation and Palestinian statelessness – render that impossible. Palestinians face daily violations of their basic human rights to freedom, dignity and health alongside continued creeping annexation of Palestinian territory by Israel.

Still, the absence of structures for democratic engagement between Palestinian leaders and public is a glaring problem, one that has become more acute as the circumstances of Palestinians on the ground have deteriorated. In particular, Palestinians have paid a high price for the entrenched disconnect between Gaza and the West Bank – not only territorially, but also in terms of politics, administrative structures and movement of goods and people. The Fatah-Hamas divide and the absence of Palestinian leadership accorded public legitimacy via a vote have further damaged Palestinian capacity to fashion a strategy for ending the military occupation and the conflict with Israel through negotiations. Breaking the impasse requires elections not only for the Palestinian Authority, but also for the PLO structures.

Elections are no cure-all, but accountable, representative and renewed Palestinian governance and national institutions are a prerequisite for reasserting much-needed Palestinian agency. They deserve international support.