PA leader blames Israel for years-long delay in holding Palestinian elections

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says the PA is going through a comprehensive reform process, including the development of the justice sector. He calls for the holding of “democratic, general, elections.”

He blames the Israeli government for the fact the Palestinians have not held elections in over a decade, saying they were obstructing elections by keeping East Jerusalemites from voting. He says he will use international bodies to force Israel to allow Palestinian elections.

He speaks at length of the 1948 Nakba — the Palestinian term for the creation of the State of Israel. He says the Palestinian narrative has been deliberately distorted by “Zionist and Israeli propaganda.”

“My message today to the Israelis is that this hideous occupation imposed on us will not last,” he says.

“The Palestinian people will remain on their land.”

He references the recent UNESCO resolution recognizing an ancient site near Jericho as Palestinian.