RAMALLAH, Jan. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat criticized Israel on Tuesday for breaking up a Fatah candidate meeting in Jerusalem.

    "The Israelis have no right to bar meetings or election campaigns as Israel hasn't informed us yet whether it will allow Jerusalem residents to vote in the elections or not," Erekat told Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine.

    He said Israeli police stormed a place where Fatah candidates were meeting and ordered them to break up the meeting because they didn't have a written statement for holding meetings on elections.

    Israeli police said candidates for the Palestinian parliamentary elections will be prohibited from campaigning in East Jerusalem.

    An Israeli spokesman said political posters will be torn down and meetings broken up, until Israel decides whether to allow East Jerusalem residents to participate in elections due on Jan. 25.

    The Palestinian Central Elections Committee said the campaign for the legislative elections is scheduled to start on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

    Erekat also called on the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia to make more efforts to press Israel to allow elections in East Jerusalem. Enditem