The official campaigning for the upcoming legislative elections, slated for January 25, kicked off yesterday in various parts of occupied Palestine. The first day of campaigning proved to be a day full of surprises, clashes erupted in east Jerusalem, many officials were arrested while campaigning, and some were physically harassed and intimidated. All this was done because of a decision by the Israeli cabinet to ban all campaigning and voting in occupied Arab east Jerusalem.

The ruling Palestinian political party Fatah, chose to launch its campaign from the tomb of the late Palestinian National Authority President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah. The Islamic resistance movement Hamas, on the other hand launched its election campaign from its political strong hold, Gaza. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) kicked of its campaign from the Palestinian city of Jericho, where the secretary-general Ahmad Saadat has been jailed since his faction claimed responsibility for the killing of the Israeli Tourism Minister in late 2001.

However, the most significant campaign launching was done by the recently created parliamentary block The Third Way, led by two prominent Palestinian figures, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi and Dr. Salam Fayad. Dr. Ashrawi launched the campaign at Damascus Gate, she told reporters the reason she launched the campaign in east Jerusalem was simply, "because it is the capital of Palestine and an occupied city."

Another prominent Palestinian figure Dr. Mustafa al-Barghouthi, who heads the independent Palestine parliamentary block, was as well forbidden from campaigning in east Jerusalem. Dr. al-Bargouthi was briefly detained and then sent back to Ramallah by Israeli security forces.

Three of Fatah's candidates where physically harassed and then detained while staging a sit in, protesting Israel's decision to ban election campaigning in east Jerusalem. Palestinian Legislative Council member Hatem Abed el-Kader and Ahmad Ghnaim were both involved in skirmishes with Israeli police, they were later detained along with Nasser Quos who is as well running for the legislative council. Altogether nine Fatah candidates were detained yesterday.

Commenting on Israel's blatant violation of disallowing Palestinian campaigning in east Jerusalem, which represents an illegal measure according to international law and scores of bi-lateral agreements between the State of Israel and the PLO, President Mahmoud Abbas told Al Jazeera, while on an official visit to Qatar, "We all agree that Jerusalem should be included in the elections…If it is not included, all the factions agree there should be no elections."

However, Hamas' publicly disagreed with the Palestinian President, when at a public rally in Gaza Hamas' spokesperson said, "We have told them [Fatah] that postponing the election will lead to a vacuum and to a dark future."

As the second day of campaigning comes to an end, it is becoming evermore apparent that Israel's insistence to disrupt the election process does not stem from Hamas' intention to participate, but rather on Israel's intention to disrupt the democratic process simply for the sake of disruption. In this case, the international community should fervently insist and pressure the State of Israel into not only refraining from interfering in internal Palestinian matters, but rather to assist in the democratic process of their neighbors, as Israel arrogantly claims to be the only democracy in the Middle-East.