Gaza: Justice Minister Sharhabil Al-Zaeem today met at the ministry's headquarters with a delegation from the European Union's Exploratory Mission (ExM), affiliated with the European External Action Service (EEAS).
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the delegation was headed by Georgi Lizon, Official in Charge of the Election Observation Unit at the EEAS, along with election expert Mark Stevens and Tereza Smejkalova, Policy Officer for the Middle East Peace Process at the EEAS. The meeting was attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, Ahmad Dhabaleh, and Director General of Legal Affairs at the ministry, Majdi Hardan.
The discussion focused on the ongoing Palestinian preparations for legislative elections, scheduled for November 28 following a presidential decree. Key challenges, including the logistics of conducting elections in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, were also highlighted.
The role of the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary in the upcoming elections was a central topic of conversation. Al-Zaeem reiterated the government's commitment, led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, alongside relevant authorities and the Central Elections Commission, to finalize necessary procedures for the elections. This, he noted, would enhance the Palestinian people's ability to exercise their political rights and further the democratic process.
Al-Zaeem emphasized the significance of the European Union's involvement in maintaining opportunities for peace and stability. He called for efforts to halt settler attacks in the West Bank and end the conflict in the Gaza Strip and urged support for conducting the Palestinian elections as planned, overcoming obstacles to ensure participation from East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
The European exploratory mission aims to conduct meetings with various governmental and non-governmental entities to evaluate the security situation and logistical arrangements. This is in line with the EU's methodology to determine the possibility and suitability of deploying an EU election observation mission for the upcoming Palestinian elections.