How does the Swiss government view the Palestinians' first parliamentary election in a decade?

Carine Carey: The Swiss foreign ministry is pleased that the election has been able to take place despite the security situation. We welcome the fact that [Palestinian President] Mahmoud Abbas did not give in to internal pressure to delay the vote. The last elections took place almost exactly ten years ago, so it is important that the Palestinian Authority now gets a new democratic legitimacy. We also welcome the decision by the Israeli government to allow the elections to take place in East Jerusalem, which according to humanitarian law is a part of the occupied territories. We hope that the Palestinian people in East Jerusalem are able to make use of their right to vote.  more