East Jerusalem Palestinians will be able to vote in PLC elections

[eyl]

Israel will allow Palestinians living in East Jerusalem to vote in the January 25 Palestinian Legislative Council elections, but will restrict the participation of terror groups, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Tuesday.

Olmert will bring his decision before the government for approval Sunday.

Olmert told Rice by telephone that "it will be clear that terror organizations and their representatives will not be able to participate in the vote in Jerusalem," officials said. "In light of the Palestinian Authority's explicit commitment to dismantle Hamas and its infrastructures after the elections, and as a result of the elections, Israel will not give the Palestinians any excuse to postpone the elections and shirk their responsibility."

Government sources in Jerusalem said any wanted Hamas members who show up at the polls or run a campaign in East Jerusalem would be arrested. Nonetheless, Israel will not ban ballot slips for parties or candidates identified with Hamas, Defense Ministry and Prime Minister's Office officials said Tuesday.

Haaretz

[Englander]

1. Police arrest six Palestinian election campaigners

By Arnon Regular

Six Palestinians were arrested yesterday for hanging campaign posters on billboards in East Jerusalem for the Palestinian parliament elections set for January 25.

The police arrested and fined the activists, despite Israel's official announcement that it would permit campaigning in the city, providing it was coordinated with the police and involved not more than 20 billboards.

However, the police and Israeli government officials have yet to reach an agreement with the Palestinian Authority over the issue, although the Palestinian election campaign already had started on January 2.

The police fined the activists NIS 450 and released them after forcing them to deposit NIS 1,000 as part of a commitment not to campaign in East Jerusalem or hang campaign material in the streets.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/669195.html