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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel Edges Away From Vote Ban |
| 2005-12-26 |
| Israel yesterday edged away from a ban on voting in East Jerusalem in next monthâs Palestinian parliamentary election in order not to give leader Mahmoud Abbas a pretext to delay the ballot. The polls, to take place on Jan. 25 across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, are the first legislative elections since 1996 and could dramatically redraw the political scene with the Hamas group to participate for the first time. Last Wednesday, a source in Sharonâs office said Israel would bar those in occupied East Jerusalem from participating in the vote, triggering a furious Palestinian response and speculation that the vote may be delayed. But following a call from the United States for both sides to resolve the dispute, a senior Israeli official appeared to be backing off the hard line. A Sharon aide told AFP yesterday that the administration âwill contemplateâ the possibility of Palestinians voting at five polling stations in East Jerusalem. |
| Posted by:Fred |