European External Action Service spokesperson Nabila Massrali explained on Wednesday 31 March that the European Union was still waiting for Israeli permission to enter the Palestinian territories and observe the Palestinian legislative elections on 22 May (see EUROPE 12638/17).
The EU has been formally invited to observe the elections.
“On 8 February, particularly in light of the current travel restrictions, the European External Action Service sent a formal request to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the election mission to be granted access to the Palestinian Territories via Israel (...) Despite continuous contacts with the Israeli authorities over the past seven weeks, the reply granting access has not been received”, the spokesperson explained.
Recalling the complexity of such a mission and the prerequisite of conducting an EU exploratory mission several months before the elections, Mrs Massrali felt that the delay in the Israeli response had “considerably” reduced the EU’s options for observing the elections. Other options are being discussed internally, she added.
Mrs Massrali assured that the EU is “strongly determined to support the upcoming elections, in particular by ensuring an adequate presence of EU observers”, and that it is ready to engage with relevant actors to support the electoral process. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)