1. General Background

The city of Jerusalem has its own particularity due to its religious and political significance to the Palestinian People. The CEC took into account this particularity and worked to the extent of its capabilities to facilitate the electoral process in the city. Due to Israel’s annexation of 84% of Jerusalem during the 1948 war, and then annexing the remainder of the city in 1967, Jerusalem electoral district is divided into two areas:

1. East Jerusalem: entails the area that the Israeli Occupation authorities annexed in 1967, which lies behind the checkpoints and is subject to control of the so-called Municipality of Jerusalem, and is regarded by Israel as under its jurisdiction. The area is comprised of the following neighborhoods and residential communities: Al-Thawri, Al-Sawahrah Al-Gharbiya, Al-Shayyah, Al-Suwwanah, Al-Tour (Jabal Al-Zayton), Al-Eisawiyah, Al-Quds (Holy Sites), Um Touba, Bab Al-Saherah (Herod’s Gate), Beit Hanina, Beit Safafa, Jabal Al-Mukabber, Ra’s Al-Amoud (Damascus Gate), Silwan, Sharafat, Shu’fat, Sheikh Jarrah, Sour Baher, Shu’fat Refugee Camp, and Wadi Al-Jouz. Approximately 300,000 Palestinians with blue ID cards inhabit East Jerusalem; therefore, arrangements for carrying out the elections there are governed by certain agreements entered between the Palestinian side and the Israeli side.

 

2. Jerusalem Suburbs: entails the area located outside East Jerusalem with 30 Palestinian residential communities: Abu Deis, Al-Jodairah, Al-Jeeb, Al-Khan Al-Ahmar, Al-Ram and Dahiyat Al-Bareed (Post Office Neighborhood), Az-Za’ayyem, Al-Sawahrah Al-Sharqiyah, Sheikh Sa’ad, Al-E’zariyah (Bethany), Al-Qubaybah, Nabi Samuel, Beddo, Beit Ejza, Beit Iksa, Beit Hanina downtown, Beit Doqqo, Beit Sourik, Beit Anan, Beir Nabala, Jaba’, Hezma, Khara’eb Um Allahem, Rafat, Al-Jahhalin Bedouin Community (Salamat), Anata, Qatannah, Qalandya, Kafr A’qab, Mikhmas, and Qalandya Refugee Camp. Approximately 165,000 Palestinians with Palestinian ID cards inhabit these areas. Unlike East Jerusalem, Israel considers Jerusalem Suburbs to be within the borders of the West Bank, and in the context of elections, what applies to the West Bank and Gaza Strip applies to it.

 

2. Bilateral Agreements relevant to Elections

The Interim Agreement signed between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in Washington DC on September 28, 1995 includes an annex (Annex 2) that especially covers the Palestinian elections.

Articles (1-5) of Annex 2 of the “Interim Agreement” are related to the elections in general, while Article (6) addresses the arrangements for elections in Jerusalem.

Article (6) stipulated that casting ballots in East Jerusalem shall take place in five post offices affiliated with the Israeli Post Authority (including 11 polling stations) providing services depending on the nature of each office. These include the Post Office in Salah Al-Dein Street (7 stations), the Post Office near Jaffa Gate – Old City (one station), the Post Office in Shu’fat (one station), the Post Office in Beit Hanina (one station), and the Post Office in Jabal Al-Zayton (one station).

“The nature of these offices” – meaning its size and capacity – which does not exceed 5367 voters on voting day. Therefore, the maximum limit of East Jerusalem citizens who can vote at the Post Offices is that number only, and the rest of Jerusalemites in East Jerusalem must vote in the poling centers established in Jerusalem suburbs. The following details the capacity of each of the Post Offices (according to the documentation the Israeli side provided the Palestinian side with during the 1996 elections):

Capacity for receiving voters (number of voters)	Polling Station No.	Name/location of Post Office	Post Office No.
697	1	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office	1
260	2	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office	1
701	3	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office	1
639	4	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office	1
725	5	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office	1
186	6	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office	1
400	7	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office	1
294	1	Jaffa Gate Post Office – Old City	2
556	1	Shu’fat Post Office	3
368	1	Beit Hanina Post Office	4
541	1	Jabal Al-Zayton Post Office – Al-Tour	5
Total 5367

 

3. 1996 General Elections

During the Palestinian General Elections carried out in 1996, Israeli post offices were used. Israel embarked on spreading rumors and propagandas to frighten Jerusalemites from going to the post offices to vote. Rumors included the intention of the Israeli authorities to deny all Jerusalemites who partake in the Palestinian Elections from bonuses and services they enjoy as individuals carrying the blue ID card.

 

4. Voters’ Registration

1. 2005 Presidential Elections

The CEC thought the arrangements made for the 1996 Elections will remain unless it receives a notification of any changes agreed upon between the Palestinian side and the Israeli side.

With the launching of the voters’ registration process in September 2004 throughout all the electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the CEC opened six registration centers for the Jerusalemite voters living in East Jerusalem. However, Israeli police and intelligence raided those centers, detaining and interrogating the registration teams for several hours, in addition to checking and photocopying all registration forms and materials they had in their possession.

Few days after the raid and continuously terrorizing the citizens and registered voters, the Israeli authorities closed all registration centers in the city, and posted order notifications prohibiting its use as registration centers.

2. Legislative Elections Registration

The CEC initiated the launching of the complementary registration campaign for the legislative elections that were scheduled for July 17, 2005, however, during the campaign; the Israeli authorities closed two registration centers in the city of Jerusalem, after arresting their staff.

Later, the Israeli Minister of National Security issued an official order banning the CEC’s staff from working inside the city.

No doubt, such actions reveal the general Israeli policy of imposing bottlenecks on the Palestinian citizens in Jerusalem, frightening them and spreading rumors in their midst in order to deter them from participating in any political activity.

 

5. CEC’s Procedures in the City of Jerusalem (2005 Presidential Elections)

Despite the ambiguity surrounding the arrangements for the Second Presidential Elections in the city of Jerusalem, until two weeks before casting ballots for the presidential elections, the CEC made preparations in Jerusalem similar to the remaining electoral districts. Moreover, the CEC made all possible efforts to facilitate any obstacles that may arise in collaboration with the Palestinian competent authorities and the international observation bodies. If it were not for the Israeli closure of the polling centers in East Jerusalem at an early stage of the voters’ registration process, the CEC would have been able to register voters in Jerusalem and include their names in the official electoral registry.

It is worth mentioning that following the Israeli approval for holding the Second Presidential Elections in Jerusalem provided on December 26, 2004, the CEC carried out the following procedures:

1. Voters’ Education Campaign:

Since the occupation and annexation of the city of Jerusalem in 1967, the Israeli authorities have imposed laws and procedures restricting the Jerusalemite citizens. Consequently, Jerusalemites were hesitant to participate in the registration process for elections, afraid of the adverse impact it may have on their right to residency in the city.  Therefore, voters’ education campaigns, organized by the CEC, focused on informing Jerusalem residents and raising their awareness on the importance of participating in the elections, being one of their fundamental rights. In addition, the CEC made sure to clarify that their participation will have no adverse impact on their acquired rights – especially that they vote as per agreements signed by the Palestinian side and the Israeli side under international sponsorship. Despite its awareness of the terrorizing campaigns the Palestinians in Jerusalem were exposed to, the CEC emphasized through the education and awareness raising campaign that the Jerusalemites’ participation in the electoral process is a consolidation of the Palestinian sovereignty over blessed Jerusalem.

2. Door to door registration campaign:

After receiving the details of elections arrangements in Jerusalem from the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), the CEC teams launched a wide door-to-door registration campaign on December 29, 2004, to register eligible voters in the city. The CEC called upon all Jerusalemites and the Palestinian institutions working in Jerusalem to cooperate with its staff in order to accomplish this important and sensitive task. The registration campaign continued until the voting day, where Jerusalemites who were not able to register during the dedicated period, were able to cast their ballots using their Jerusalemite ID Cards (blue cards), given they register their names before voting.

 

6. CEC’s Stance – 2005 Presidential Elections

It became clear to the CEC that Israel is intentionally obstructing and hindering the conduction of Palestinian elections in Jerusalem, with no intention to adhere to the agreements signed with the Palestinian side. Therefore, the CEC announced through a press release, that it would not oversee any elections that do not include the city of Jerusalem, noting that this stance is in line with the people’s, PNA’s and national stances. The CEC pointed out in the same press release that the procedures applied in the 1996 elections in Jerusalem do not meet the acceptable international standards of free and transparent elections. However, the CEC considered that the procedures applied in the 1996 elections are merely the minimum acceptable level for carrying out the Second Presidential Elections in the city of Jerusalem. Furthermore, the CEC stated that it would work extensively to facilitate the flow of the electoral process in the city.

 

7. Electoral Campaigning in East Jerusalem

Electoral campaigning is one of the fundamental rights of candidates as stipulated in the Palestinian Elections Law; however, electoral campaigning in Jerusalem was confined to certain constraints that were agreed upon during the 1996 elections. Although the campaigning constraints might seem somehow flexible, it was linked to Israeli approval and the need for submitting requests in advance to acquire permissions for some campaigning activities for the candidates. The following are examples of electoral campaigning activities that were allowed, and the Israeli controls and constraints imposed on them:

1. Posters and leaflets can be displayed in private shops and locations, given the approval of its owners.
2. Leaflets and brochures may be distributed in the markets and road junctions.
3. Posters and leaflets may be displayed in public places, after coordinating with the CEC, who will in return submit a request for displaying materials in public to the Palestinian Ministry of Civil Affairs, who will in return do the necessary coordination with the Israeli authorities. A financial compensation must be paid in return for displaying banners and posters.
4. Electoral festivals and meetings can be held in Jerusalem indoors only, after the CEC submits a request indicating the meeting’s location and time at least 24 hours in advance. The CEC follows up on the request with the Palestinian Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Candidates were required to obtain the necessary permissions in order to enter the city of Jerusalem by submitting a request to the Palestinian Ministry of Civil Affairs through the CEC.

However, the reality was different, were several candidates were exposed to harassment, and sometimes beating or temporary detention as they crossed the checkpoints surrounding East Jerusalem.

 

8. Voting Process in East Jerusalem (2005 Presidential Elections)

Voting took place in six Post Offices, with twelve polling stations and a total capacity of 6,000 voters. As mentioned before, Sour Baher Post Office was opened, in addition to other post offices that were used in the 1996 Elections. The following shows the distribution of those stations:

No.	Name/Location of Post Office	No. of Polling Stations
1	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office	7
2	Jaffa Gate Post Office (Old City)	1
3	Shu’fat Post Office	1
4	Beit Hanina Post Office	1
5	Jabal Al-Zayton Post Office (Al-Tour)	1
6	Sour Baher Post Office	1
Total		12

Voting processes were completed under the supervision of international observers who were present inside the post offices dedicated for the voting process. Moreover, the observers accompanied the ballot boxes while they were moved from the abovementioned post offices to the Jerusalem Electoral District office in Dahiyat Al-Bareed.

Based on the abovementioned context, in theory, it is safe to say that the Second Presidential Elections were carried out in Jerusalem, in general, within the frame of the interim agreements and the procedures agreed upon between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides in 1996. However, practically, the Israeli Occupation authorities have imposed several major obstacles against the participation of Jerusalemites in the elections, especially at the Post Offices, such as refraining from providing sufficient numbers of Post Office staff to facilitate the voting process for voters. For example, only one employee was allocated for the voting process at the Salah El-Dein Street Post Office, designed to receive 3500 voters, which resulted in extreme overcrowding of the center. Furthermore, the post office employees there tried to obstruct and hinder the process of verifying voters’ names against the Voters’ Registry. Post office employees claimed that voters’ names do not exist in the registry; however, the CEC confirmed that their claims were not true, and such claims are nothing but an attempt to obstruct the voting process.

It is worth mentioning that the former American President, Jimmy Carter, and former French Prime Minister, Michel Rocard, both of whom headed the international observation bodies in those elections, in addition to a group of other international observers, intervened with the Israeli authorities in order to facilitate the participation of Jerusalemites in the elections. Mr. Carter suggested Israel to allow any Jerusalemite to vote, based on the field registration receipt, and after some stalling from the Israeli side, all Jerusalem voters with the registration receipts were allowed to cast their ballots in the six post offices.

Concerning the counting of votes, unlike the counting procedures followed in the remaining electoral districts, counting votes did not take place at the polling stations, which were the post offices in this case; rather, they were transferred to the Jerusalem Electoral District office at Dahiyat Al-Bareed, were the counting process took place by the Palestinian teams.

 

9. Voting in Jerusalem Suburbs (Presidential Elections 2005)

Since the post offices that were used as polling centers in East Jerusalem were not enough to absorb all eligible voters in East Jerusalem, the CEC opened twelve polling centers for citizens with the Jerusalemite ID cards living outside the border of East Jerusalem, namely in the Jerusalem suburbs and within the borders of Jerusalem electoral district. Therefore, the majority of Jerusalemites were not able to vote in close proximity of their place of residence; rather, they had to go to Jerusalem suburbs to cast their ballots in one of the centers dedicated to them.

Because of the large number of Jerusalem residents who were not registered in the voters’ registry due to the Israeli measures and obstacles, the CEC allowed every citizen with a Jerusalemite ID card to vote in any of the polling centers that were opened in Jerusalem suburbs. Voters had to add their names to the voters’ registry first, and use the thumb ink to avoid repetition.

 

10. Procedures taken for the participation of Jerusalemites in the 2006 Legislative Elections

In general, elections are organized in the city of Jerusalem based on the Palestinian-Israeli agreements, based on which the 1996 Elections and the Second Presidential Elections in 2005 took place. Concerning the 2006 Legislative Elections in Jerusalem Electoral District, the Palestinian and Israeli side agreed for the CEC to open three centers for distributing voters’ cards to the Citizens of Jerusalem with blue ID cards in order to guarantee their right to vote in the post office centers.

Post offices that were allocated for the voting process were as follows:

No.	Center	No. of Stations	Capacity
1	Salah Al-Dein Street Post Office center	7	3550 voters
2	Beit Hanina Post Office	1	550 voters
3	Al-Tour Post Office	1	550 voters
4	Sour Baher Post Office	1	550 voters
5	Jaffa Gate Post Office	1	550 voters
6	Shu’fat Post Office	1	550 voters
Total	6 Polling centers	12 stations	6300 Jerusalemite voters

 

Each center received a number of cards in line with its above identified capacity. Jerusalemite citizens went to the other centers to obtain their cards that allowed them to vote in the Legislative Elections in 2006.

1. Al-Fatah Al-Laje’ah Girls Secondary School (Refugee Girl)/ Jerusalem – Salah Al-Dein Street.
2. Al-Nethamiyah Girls Seconday School / Beith Haninna – Main Street.
3. Abu Baker Al-Seddiq Girls School / Jerusalem – Sour Baher

Every individual who was not able to obtain a card was able to vote in the specialized centers that the CEC opened for this purpose in Jerusalem suburbs as follows:

Center No.	Center Name	Total No. of Stations	Address
1400	Al-Moghtaribeen School/ Science and Culture Islamic Association	2	Beir Nabala
1405	Kafr Aqab Mixed Basic School	5	Kafr Aqab
1410	Al-Baironi Basic School	5	Al-Ram & Dahiyat Al-Bareed
1415	Al-Ommah Secondary School	5	Al-Ram & Dahiyat Al-Bareed
1420	Muslim Youth Association	2	Dahiyat Al-Bareed
1425	Anata Local Council	3	Anata
1430	Beit Al-Maqdis School	3	Anata
1435	Al-Rawdah Mixed School	5	Al-Za’ayyem
1440	Ahbab Allah School	5	Al-Za’ayyem
1445	Bawwabat Al-Quds Association	2	Al-Eizariyah
1450	Riyadh Al-Aqsa Islamic School	5	Al-Eizariyah
1455	Abu Deis Local Council	2	Abu Deis
1460	Sheikh Sa’ad Girls Secondary School	5	Sheikh Sa’ad
1465	Sheikh Sa’ad Boys Secondary School	5	Sheikh Sa’ad
Total	14 polling centers	54 polling stations

 

 

11. Jerusalem and the 2021 Palestinian Elections (Postponed)

The CEC was keen on addressing the issue of conducting elections in the city of Jerusalem during its meetings with local stakeholders, including the political factions and civil society organizations (CSOs), and international stakeholders such as ambassadors, consuls, and representatives of various countries, unions and federations. The PNA kept track of the developments on this sensitive issue.

The Palestinian leadership submitted a letter to the Israeli side, emphasizing carrying the elections out in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip in accordance with the agreed upon protocols stipulated in the “interim agreement” entered between the PLO and Israel, and signed in Washington DC on September 28, 1995, similar to the previously held elections.

Through a press release, the CEC clarified to the public that the CEC Chairman’s participation in the PLO’s Executive Committee meeting held on April 18, 2021 was to affirm that in case Israel denied the Palestinian request to hold elections in Jerusalem in accordance with the previously agreed upon protocols, the CEC is ready to make other arrangements based on the specific guidelines of the Palestinian political leadership, as well as the consultations with the national and Islamic factions.

Based on the Palestinian leadership’s decision issued in its meeting held on the evening of April 29, 2021, according to which the general elections were postponed until the circumstances allowing it to be carried out in the city of Jerusalem are met, the CEC announced halting the electoral process.

 

12. Jerusalem in the 2021 Local Elections

The first stage of the 2021 Local Elections, with voting scheduled for December 11, 2021 included 27 local authorities in Jerusalem district: (Abu Deis, Al-Jodairah, Al-Jeeb, Al-Khan Al-Ahmar, Az-Za’ayyem, Al-Sawahrah Al-Sharqiyah, Sheikh Sa’ad, Al-Qubaybah, Nabi Samuel, Beddo, Beit Ejza, Beit Iksa, Beit Hanina downtown, Beit Doqqo, Beit Sourik, Beit Anan, Beir Nabala, Jaba’, Hezma, Khara’eb Um Allahem, Rafat, Al-Jahhalin Bedouin Community (Salamat), Anata, Qatannah, Qalandya, Kafr A’qab, Mikhmas), in addition to two other local authorities included in the second stage with voting scheduled for March 26, 2022 (Al-Ram and Dahiyat Al-Bareed (Post Office Avenue) and Al-E’zariyah).

As for the occupied city of Jerusalem, it was not included in the Local Elections; similar to what happened in the previous local elections of 2004-2005, 2012, and 2017, as it falls directly under the jurisdiction of the occupation’s municipality (Unified Jerusalem Municipality), due to the lack of a municipal council affiliated with the PA that provides services to citizens. The CEC hopes to work in the city of Jerusalem as soon as possible, as it is part and parcel of the Palestinian territory.