Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday postponed the legislative elections scheduled for next month, calling for them to be held concurrently with presidential elections in September 2027.
Palestinian legislative elections have not been held for nearly two decades, and their organization is a demand of many international parties. Abbas, 90, has ruled by decree since his term expired in 2009. In June, he announced he would call for presidential elections in early 2027.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Abbas issued "a presidential decree calling for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on September 11, 2027, based on a decision by the PLO Executive Committee, after canceling the decree... regarding the call for legislative elections on November 28, 2026."
The agency explained that the decision came after "national consultations with Palestinian factions and political forces, which resulted in a national consensus regarding the obstacles imposed by Israeli measures on the possibility of holding the elections on their previous date."
However, Israel denied responsibility for postponing the Palestinian legislative elections.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar wrote on the X platform following the Palestinian Authority's decision to postpone the elections for a year: "Mahmoud Abbas, the corrupt Palestinian dictator who hasn't held elections for over two decades, has once again deceived the international community."
He added, "His attempt to blame Israel, by falsely claiming that it obstructed the elections, is nothing but another ridiculous lie aimed at evading responsibility and accountability."
- Vice President Responds -
In response to Sa'ar's statements, Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh wrote on the X platform, "The occupation's foreign minister appears before us, feigning concern and fear for the future of democracy in Palestine after the postponement of the Palestinian legislative elections as a result of his crimes, actions, terrorism, and violence."
He added, "If you have no shame, say what you will. The one responsible for the daily slaughter of our people appears before us with the language of a preacher. How absurd."
The Palestinian president issued a presidential decree in July setting November 28 as the date for the legislative elections.
However, organizing the elections faces significant procedural challenges stemming from Israeli measures in the Gaza Strip, as well as in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
Days earlier, the Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, announced that Israel had refused to allow the Central Elections Commission to enter the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
Four Palestinian factions—Fatah, led by Abbas, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine—agreed during a meeting in Cairo to hold a "comprehensive national dialogue" before the legislative elections.
A source familiar with the talks told AFP that the factions agreed to recommend postponing the vote.
Hamas considered the decision to postpone the elections "a step in the right direction that should lead to a comprehensive, serious, and fruitful national dialogue."
In a statement, Hamas said, "We affirm our readiness to engage in a comprehensive dialogue to reach clear and binding results for all parties, including mechanisms for restructuring the Palestinian political system, particularly the National and Legislative Councils, and agreeing on a comprehensive national strategy."
For his part, Mohammed Dahlan, head of the "Democratic Reformist Current" that broke away from Fatah, considered the postponement of the elections "a blatant crime against democracy and against our Palestinian people, a dangerous continuation of the usurpation of the people's will, and a perpetuation of the grip of a regime that has lacked constitutional, legal, and moral legitimacy for fifteen years."
Dahlan, who hails from the Gaza Strip and resides in the UAE, said in a statement, "Abbas and his cronies have transformed the institutions of the Palestinian Authority into their own private fiefdom."
- "Fear of Elections" -
Ismat Mansour, a journalist and former official in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, pointed out that the Israeli restrictions were known when the election date was initially set, and they alone cannot explain the postponement decision.
In a video posted on Facebook, Mansour addressed the Palestinian factions, saying, "The only thing that can explain this decision is your fear of elections. You are afraid of holding elections. You don't want the people to decide."
But Palestinian analyst Ghassan Khatib disagreed, telling AFP that he never expected the elections to take place because "Israel is creating an atmosphere that doesn't allow for elections."
"I don't think internal Palestinian politics is the reason for the postponement," the former Palestinian Authority minister added, pointing to the ongoing destruction and bloodshed in Gaza, as well as Israeli military operations and settler violence in the West Bank.
Holding elections is part of the reforms demanded by the international community, including the European Union.
Displaced people in the Gaza Strip expressed their frustration with the decision to postpone the elections.
"We know things are difficult here because of the war and all this destruction, but how long will the elections continue to be postponed?" Abu Amin Joudah, displaced in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, told AFP.
"We want to vote like everyone else, and choose someone who will speak for us and defend our rights," he added.
Hamas won the last Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, defeating Fatah, the movement led by Abbas.
The ensuing split led to a round of factional fighting, with Hamas eventually seizing power in the Gaza Strip, creating a rift between Fatah, which governs the West Bank, and Hamas in Gaza.
As a result, the Palestinian Legislative Council has not convened since 2007.
Abbas won the last Palestinian presidential election in 2005, and his term was supposed to end in 2009, but he has continued to rule by decree ever since.
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