RAMALLAH, June 26, 2018 (WAFA) – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said on Tuesday that it was opposed to East Jerusalem Palestinians taking part in the West Jerusalem municipal elections planned for October.

East Jerusalem’s over 350,000 Palestinian residents have been boycotting the West Jerusalem municipal elections since the occupation of the city in June 1967. However, recently calls were made for East Jerusalem residents to vote in the upcoming elections in order to influence decisions by the city that affect their lives and destiny.

PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat said the Executive Committee strongly opposes the participation of Palestinians in the occupied city in the elections because that would give legitimacy to the illegal occupation.

“In light of the unilateral and illegal recognition by (US President Donald) Trump of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, any participation in the elections will assist the Israeli establishment in promoting the ‘greater Jerusalem’ project since the municipality is an arm of the Israeli government and plays a complimentary role in implementing its colonial settlement project and ethnic cleansing while making living of Jerusalemites impossible in their city,” he said in a statement.

“The Executive Committee calls very strongly for not giving any legitimacy to the occupation and annexation of occupied Jerusalem as well as Israeli policies aimed at diminishing Palestinian presence in the city while multiplying the number of illegal settlers, turning it into a Jewish city and imposing Israeli law on the city,” said Erekat.

M.K.