Israel leaning to permit east J'lem vote

Israel is now inclined to allow east Jerusalem Arabs to vote in next month's Palestinian Authority legislative elections from post offices, a senior government official said Saturday night. The change in policy comes less than a week after reports that Israel would not allow this type of voting led to PA threats to call off the elections.

The official said that while no final decision on the matter had yet been made, Jerusalem was considering following the same modalities in the upcoming elections as were used during the January 2005 PA elections for chairman and the 1996 PA legislative elections.

The issue, he said, was much more symbolic than practical, since so few east Jerusalem Arabs actually voted in the post offices in the last elections. He said Israel was considering allowing the balloting despite Hamas's participation so that Israel would not be blamed for torpedoing the elections.

Last week, Israeli officials told Belgian European Parliament member Veronique De Keyser, head of the EU delegation here to observe the elections, that Israel might not allow voting in east Jerusalem were Hamas allowed to participate.

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The ATL is COLD! Are you down here?

I am still in OK...not too bad here...freaky weather! I am sure it has nothing to do with global warming. :sarcasm:

Hope you are well...and sassy as ever! :)