Elections in Jerusalem were convened for the first time in East Jerusalem in 1996 to elect a president for the Palestinian Authority and representatives for the legislative council. The second elections were in January 2005, to elect a new president after the death of president Yasser Arafat.
The elections procedures that were agreed upon in the 1996 elections were renewed for the 2005 presidential elections. These were in summary that voting will be permitted at five Israeli-administered post offices in East Jerusalem and that the number of voters will be restricted to 5,367 voters. Israel accepted the opening of a sixth post office and increased the number of voters to 6000 for the 2005 elections. The Central Elections Committee estimated that some 90,000 eligible voters were required to travel outside the city to cast their votes at 12 voting centers in the distant suburbs.
The Israeli government considered the casting of ballots at post offices a form of absentee voting while the Palestinian Authority considered it voting in polling stations that happened to be in post offices. Voting was overseen by Israeli post office workers and no CEC officials were allowed on site. The agreement with Israel included a fee for renting the space. Ballots were deposited in "receptacles" resembling mail boxes, rather than regular ballot boxes. The ballots were transported by Israeli postal services to CEC officials, who then tallied the votes. Security at the post offices during the voting process was the responsibility of the Israeli authorities.
The above procedure and arrangements were inadequate and did not provide reasonable electoral conditions for candidates and voters in East Jerusalem. In September 2004, the Central Elections Committee opened voter registration centers in Jerusalem. 10 days after Israel closed the centers down. After the presidential election was called for in November, the CEC attempted to register voters in East Jerusalem with a door-to-door canvass of voters. But even then the number of Jerusalemites registered to vote was considerably low.
Jerusalemites expressed concern that registering to vote or voting might jeopardize their residency rights in Jerusalem. They feared that the Israeli authorities could use this information to revoke their residency rights. Israel on the other hand did not issue any statements to reassure Palestinian voters regarding their residency rights in case they registered and voted.
Candidates and their campaign workers were not allowed access to Jerusalem. Through international pressure on Israel, two presidential candidates were given permits that were valid for four hours.
On Election Day
Voters who turned up at post office polling stations closest to their place of residence were turned away because their names were did not appear on the voter list for that station. Some 60 – 80 percent of such cases were forced to travel outside the municipality boundaries to vote at one of the special polling centers. This journey lasted two hours in some instances.
No Palestinian elections officials were allowed to administer the process in the post offices. Voting booths were not permitted, instead voters marked their ballots at normal post office windows and put the ballots in an envelop which was then put into a special post box by the postal official. The boxes were then transferred by Israeli post office cars to CEC officials outside the municipality boundaries, where the ballots were counted. Throughout the boxes were under Israeli security and control.
Conclusion and recommendations
- It is imperative that the electoral process in east Jerusalem is conducted in an equal manner as far as possible in comparison to the other electoral constituencies.
- There must be a full and inclusive registration of Palestinian voters in Jerusalem, with clear information provided as to where they will vote on Election Day.
- Voters must receive assurances that their participation in the electoral process will not in any way jeopardize their rights and status as Jerusalem ID card holders.
- The arrangements for election campaigning, including the free movement of candidates throughout the constituency must be articulated in good time before the start of the campaign.
- Candidates eligible to stand for election in Jerusalem, but currently residing elsewhere, must be afforded proper access to the constituency
- Proper, reasonable and adequate provision must be made for voting by all registered voters in the vicinity in which they live, in accordance with basic international electoral standards of equal treatment, secrecy of the vote and convenient provision of adequate polling places.
- Regular electoral officials should be permitted to oversee the proper conduct of the election, possibly in a supervisory role so that problems can be properly addressed.
International Community’s Obligations
- Implementation of the Road Map. On elections:
- “Establishment of an independent Palestinian election commission. PLC reviews and revises elections law”.
- Israel is obliged to:" Facilitate Task Force election assistance, registration of voters, movement of candidates and voting officials. Support for NGOs involved in the election process”.
- International law:
The right of Palestinians to self determination. (Article 1/International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights), (Article 1 (2) of the United Nations Charter), (the ICJ Opinion).
- Facilitate the re-opening of negotiations on the elections’ procedures in Jerusalem based on the new elections law.
- Pressure Israel to allow the CEC to implement the same elections’ procedures in Jerusalem as implemented in other Palestinian cities.
- Guarantee due process of voter registration, campaigning and polling in Jerusalem.
- Re-open voter registration centers that were closed by the Israeli Authorities on 10.05.2005.
- Assurance by the Israeli authorities that Jerusalemites’ rights will not be jeopardized by participating in elections.
For Further information, you can contact:
The Jerusalem Committee of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations (PNGO) – 2963847.
Siham Rashid - Palestinian Counseling Center – 02 6562272 or 02-6562638 or 0544699620.
My Rights, Our Power: A Joint Campaign Launched in Palestine to Raise Awareness on Women’s Fundamental Human Rights
Date posted: March 09, 2019
By UN Women
1_March 2019, Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Women’s Day (8 March), a week-long joint campaign “My Rights, Our Power” was launched today in Palestine to raise awareness on women’s fundamental human rights. The joint effort, with participation from over 30 national and international partners from civil society organizations, media outlets, and international development agencies, targets youth, women, and men in various geographic areas in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza to promote women’s human rights in Palestine.
The campaign comes at a crucial moment when the anticipated adoption of the Family Protection Bill is at a standstill, raising concerns among national and international stakeholders about the consequences of such delay on safeguarding women’s fundamental human rights in Palestine. According to the Palestine report of the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), nearly one in five Palestinian men (17 percent) surveyed said they had perpetrated act of physical intimate partner violence against female partners, while 21 per cent of women surveyed reported having experienced such violence.
“Family violence, usually committed by a family member who has social or economic power over others in the family, causes enormous pain and suffering to all members of the family, especially the women and children,” said a spokesperson from civil society, which has vigorously initiated the development of the Family Protection Bill (FPB), and has strongly pushed its adoption since 2004.
“The violation of women’s human rights manifests in various levels and should be also understood from economic, cultural, and social aspects,” the spokesperson added, highlighting the lack of opportunities and freedom of choice, as well as limited access to justice and services that women in Palestine still experience.
The joint campaign aims to raise awareness of the general public, especially youth, women, and men on women’s fundamental rights in line with international standards and embedded in the Family Protection Bill draft endorsed by the previous Cabinet at the end of December 2018. Five key messages, addressing women’s right to a life free of violence, right to achieve justice and seek help in case of violation of such life, as well as the right to equal opportunities and right to make one’s own choices, will be distributed through various channels such as radio, social media, helpline (121), outreach activities, and on-site events. The closing event of the joint campaign will take place on 8 March in Jerusalem and will celebrate women’s achievements using TED-style talks, followed by art performances.
“My Rights, Our Power” joint campaign is part of the global International Women’s Day 2019 campaign under the theme of “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. The theme focuses on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure, echoing the theme of the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 63) taking place in New York on 11-22 March 2019.
The participating organizations of the “My Rights, Our Power” are (in alphabetical order): 17 Palestinian women’s organizations represented by Al-Muntada (coalition), British Consulate-General, Business Women Forum, CARE International, Consulate General of Sweden, Consulate General of Belgium, EUPOL COPPS, EU Representative Office, FAO, General Union of Palestinian Women, Government of Japan, CowaterSogema/GROW Project, International Labour Organization, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Ma’an TV, MIFTAH, Netherlands Representative Office, Nisaa FM, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development, Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association, Representative Office of Canada, Representative Office of Denmark, SAWA, Sawasya II, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Sports for Life, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Representative Office of Norway, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNOPS, UN Women, Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling, Women’s Studies Center.
For more information, please contact Eunjin Jeong at UN Women via eunjin.jeong@unwomen.org or 059 2321 308, Majd Beltaji at UNESCO via m.beltaji@unesco.org or 059 4501 506.
