Ramallah, Dec 20: The Palestinian Elections Commission formally recommended today that Yasser Arafat delay the vote, originally scheduled for January 20, until Israeli troops withdraw from west bank towns.
The Commission met with Arafat at his Ramallah headquarters. Ali Jerbawi, a political science professor and commission member, said the panel proposed that elections be postponed until 100 days after an Israeli pullback. Arafat is considering the recommendation, Jerbawi said
Israeli forces have been in control of seven of eight major Palestinian towns and cities since the summer, searching for suspected militants and enforcing curfews that have confined hundreds of thousands of people to their homes. The Palestinians have repeatedly said that legislative and presidential elections cannot take place if voters are prevented from getting to polling stations because of curfews and the presence of soldiers.
``We can't have a meaningful election if the Palestinian people can't move, if we are living under curfew, living under siege and living in suffering,'' Jerbawi said. Bureau Report