RAMALLAH, August 31, 2026 (WAFA) – Justice Minister Sharhabil Al-Zaeem today met at the ministry’s headquarters in Ramallah with a delegation from the European Union’s Exploratory Mission (ExM), affiliated with the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The delegation was headed by Georgi Lizon, Official in Charge of the Election Observation Unit at the EEAS, and included election expert Mark Stevens and Tereza Smejkalova, Policy Officer for the Middle East Peace Process at the EEAS. The meeting was also attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, Ahmad Dhabaleh, and Director General of Legal Affairs at the ministry, Majdi Hardan.
The meeting discussed ongoing Palestinian preparations for holding legislative elections following the issuance of a presidential decree setting the elections for November 28, as well as the challenges associated with holding them in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
It also addressed the role of the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary in the upcoming elections.
Al-Zaeem affirmed the commitment of the government, headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, all relevant authorities, and the Central Elections Commission to completing all necessary procedures for holding the elections, thereby strengthening the Palestinian people’s right to exercise their political rights and advancing the democratic process.
He stressed the importance of the European role in preserving opportunities for achieving peace and stability, exerting pressure to halt settler attacks in the West Bank and the war in the Gaza Strip, and supporting efforts to hold the Palestinian elections despite all challenges, remove obstacles, and ensure that they are held on schedule with the participation of East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
The European exploratory mission is tasked with holding a series of meetings with relevant governmental and non-governmental parties to discuss the security situation and logistical arrangements in accordance with the EU methodology, to assess the feasibility and appropriateness of deploying an EU election observation mission for the upcoming Palestinian elections.
T.R.
