The status of East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, is one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Delicate arrangements for the voting reflect the deep sensitivities over who will rule the city.
The Palestinians hope to make the eastern section, home to the city's 220,000 Arabs, the capital of an independent state.
Seeking to buttress its claim to the entire city, Israel offered citizenship to Jerusalem's Arabs after the 1967 war. Although few took the offer, they qualify for an array of Israeli government benefits, unlike their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and Gaza.
Mimi relies on Israel for health care and unemployment benefits. Since his wife is from the West Bank, he needs the Interior Ministry to work out travel arrangements for her to see relatives.
With so much on the line, he said, voting just isn't worth the risk. "Everyone has to watch his own back," he said, sitting in East Jerusalem's main post office.
Officially, Israel has promised to allow East Jerusalem residents to vote freely and authorized candidates to campaign in the city. But it hasn't been that simple.
Israeli police broke up a voter registration drive in East Jerusalem in September, closing six offices of the Palestinian Election Commission and seizing voter lists. When one presidential hopeful, Mustafa Barghouthi, entered Jerusalem's Old City last week, he was detained by police. Abbas hasn't come to the city.
The lack of activity has left many residents with a sense of apathy. "There has been no information. No one has come to us," said Jawad Natche, a jeweler on bustling Saladin Street.
Israeli authorities recently allowed a registration effort to resume, but only about 5,300 Palestinians will be voting in the city. Palestinian election officials say that's the number of people Israel will allow to vote at six polling stations in local post offices.
As a result, the vast majority of the estimated 120,000 eligible voters must travel to suburbs to vote, a measure likely to cut turnout, Palestinian officials said.
During the last Palestinian presidential election, in 1996, turnout was just 40 percent. At that time, Israel deployed thousands of troops near polling stations in Jerusalem, prompting Jimmy Carter, who was working as an election observer, to accuse Israel of voter intimidation.
The same atmosphere persists today. "It's better to stay away. I don't know what the Israelis are planning," said V.M., a 32-year-old medical secretary who asked to be identified only by her initials.
Yesterday, for instance, an Orthodox Jewish city council member announced plans to disrupt the election. David Edri of the National Religious Party said dozens of people will stand in lines at East Jerusalem post offices to cause delays and take pictures of voters.
