Palestinian security forces oversee last year's elections in Jenin
Photo: AP
Jerusalem neighborhood to participate in Palestinian elections
Though Israel forbade conducting municipal elections in east Jerusalem, the neighborhood of Kafr Aqab will take part in the Palestinian elections, due to take place in a month and a half; since the Jerusalem Municipality does not provide the neighborhood's residents with almost any necessary services, the Palestinian Council takes care of their needs.
Residents of the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Aqab, which lies beyond the separation fence, will be allowed to vote in the coming Palestinian elections, in a month and a half’s time. The neighborhood holds some 20,000 residents.
Kafr Aqab’s special standing results from several intersecting circumstances: first, Israel has forbidden municipal elections to take place in east Jerusalem, barring the neighborhood from voting in those of Jerusalem’s.
Palestinian security forces oversee last year's elections in Jenin (Photo: AP)
Second, despite officially being part of the city, the neighborhood itself barely receives any services from the municipality. Instead, it receives services from the Palestinian Council, made up of members of the Fatah movement.
Third, though most of the neighborhood lies within east Jerusalem’s jurisdiction, a small part of it, housing several hundred residents, is on the Palestinian side, a fact that acts as a gateway for the entire neighborhood to participate in the elections.
The elections committee has already submitted a list of parties participating in the Palestinian elections. In Kafr Aqab, only the Fatah movement submitted the necessary forms, which effectively predecided the elections’ local results. Kfar Aqab resident Samih Abu Ramila, who occupies the number two position on the neighborhood Fatah list, told Ynet the neighborhood’s participation in the Palestinian elections makes sense from an Israeli perspective, as well. “The Jerusalem Municipality doesn’t provide us with services, so the Palestinian Council has to provide them. The State of Israel should thank us for this, since if it weren't for us, the Israeli courts would be flooded with lawsuits.”
