Abbas sets November 28 date for Palestinian legislative vote

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has set November 28 for legislative elections across the Palestinian Territories, Al Jazeera reported Thursday. If the vote takes place, it would be the first Palestinian legislative election in 20 years and would come as Abbas faces international pressure to show his government has a legitimate mandate.

Abbas issued a decree naming the election date for the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. The broadcaster reported that the announcement follows growing demands from foreign governments for changes in the Palestinian Authority.

The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in 2006, when Hamas won the vote, Al Jazeera reported. That result led to a political rupture with Abbas’s Fatah movement, which had previously dominated Palestinian politics, and Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.

Foreign pressure and calls for reform

Nour Odeh, reporting for Al Jazeera from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said the decision was understood as a result of talks between Abbas, Palestinian leaders and foreign governments. She named France and Saudi Arabia among the countries seeking what they describe as reform in the Palestinian Authority before providing assistance.

Odeh said Palestinians have shown strong demand for elections and a change in leadership in polling, but she added that public enthusiasm remains restrained. Al Jazeera did not provide details of the polls in its report.

Abbas was elected president in 2005 for a four-year term and has stayed in office since then, according to Al Jazeera. The broadcaster reported that he has governed by decree for more than 15 years, drawing accusations inside Palestine and abroad of corruption and abuse of power.

East Jerusalem and Gaza pose obstacles

Several unresolved issues could still prevent the vote from going ahead, Al Jazeera reported. Israel has not publicly commented on Abbas’s announcement, but would need to permit Palestinian voting in occupied East Jerusalem.

That issue derailed a previous election plan in 2021, according to Al Jazeera. Palestinian legislative and presidential elections scheduled that year were cancelled after Israel did not guarantee that voting could take place in occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza presents additional obstacles, Al Jazeera reported. The broadcaster said Israel’s war has internally displaced nearly all of the enclave’s 2.1 million residents, while more than 90 percent of the Strip has been destroyed.

Al Jazeera also reported that Gaza lacks the infrastructure needed to hold an election and that the population registry has not been updated during Israel’s assault. Those conditions would make organizing a territory-wide vote difficult even if the political conditions are met.

Abbas said last month that presidential elections would be held early next year, according to Al Jazeera. He did not say whether he would run for another term.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.