Addressing Sunday weekly cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not rule out allowing residents of occupied Arab Jerusalem from voting in the upcoming Palestinian presidential election. Sharon noted that the Palestinian Jerusalemites have voted in past elections, and, as such, he is not ruling out the possibility this time as well.
According to press reports on Sunday, Washington has launched a campaign to pressure Tel Aviv to assist the Palestinian Authority in laying the way for elections in the occupied territories.
The New York Times quoted US officials as saying that among the demands the Bush administration has leveled at Israel is to permit Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to participate in the upcoming elections, as was the case in 1996 when Yasser Arafat was elected. (albawaba.com)
