Palestinian president reaffirms no elections without East Jerusalem

RAMALLAH, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed on Thursday evening that no elections can be held without East Jerusalem.

He made the remarks during a leadership meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the West Bank city of Ramallah to decide whether the first Palestinian vote in 15 years would be postponed.

Abbas told the meeting that the Israeli government has rejected the holding of the upcoming Palestinian general elections in occupied East Jerusalem.

He called for the meeting to hammer out an appropriate decision concerning the fate of the elections in the aftermath of the Israel's refusal.

The president stressed that the Palestinian people in East Jerusalem have the right to vote and run as candidates in the upcoming elections.

The Palestinian leadership insists on holding the general elections in East Jerusalem, as they want to elect a new parliament and a new president for all the Palestinian territories.

In January, Abbas announced the 2021 general elections will include the legislative elections on May 22, the presidential elections on July 31, and the elections of the Palestinian National Council, the highest decision-making body of the PLO, on Aug. 31.