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Mohammed Al-Hourani, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, said in a March 3, 2024 interview with BBC Arabic [UK] that the Palestinian Authority plans to hold elections in Jerusalem despite Israeli opposition to this. He said that they will place ballot boxes in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and elsewhere, and "let Israel come and open fire at the ballot boxes." Al-Hourani said that the Palestinian Authority will not hold elections without including Jerusalem in the voting process.
Mohammed Al-Hourani: "It is true that Israel is preventing elections [for the Palestinians Authority] in Jerusalem. The international community has been unable to help the Palestinian people by exerting pressure on Israel to allow the elections in Jerusalem. That's true. Therefore, we should hold elections in the context of the confrontation with the occupation in Jerusalem."
Interviewer: "What does this mean? How can you hold elections in Jerusalem if Israel prevents this?"
Al-Hourani: "We will place the ballot boxes in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and in the public institutions in Jerusalem, and let Israel come and open fire at the ballot boxes. We want to use this civilized weapon to express ourselves, and if it is thwarted by the use of force, the blame will be directed at the Israeli occupation state."
Interviewer: "Some Palestinians say that instead, you should hold elections in places where it is possible."
Al-Hourani: "No. This would mean that we accept Jerusalem to be outside the areas where the elections are held. This will not happen. Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinians, and it [represents] the depth of their conscience. It has a million meanings – spiritual, political, economic, – not just for us, but for the Muslims and the Christians around the world. Jerusalem is an occupied zone."
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