Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said that the elections were postponed, and not canceled, calling on Europe to continue its efforts to pressure Israel to allow elections to be held in Jerusalem and to allow Palestinians there to participate in the elections through casting their votes and running as electoral candidates.
This came during a meeting held today with the representative of the European Union (EU) to Palestine, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, in the premier’s office in Ramallah.
Shtayyeh praised the EU’s position in support of holding elections in all Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and the EU promotion of the values of justice, peace, and democratization, and supporting the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state.
They also discussed efforts made to establish a desalination plant in the Gaza Strip at a value of 600 million dollars, of which the EU will contribute 150 million euros, and the Europe-Qatar-funded gas pipeline project that aims at alleviating the electricity crisis in the Strip.