Abbas Sets November 28 Legislative Elections in Palestinian Territories

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Thursday declaring legislative elections for November 28 across the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza. The announcement marks the first legislative elections scheduled in the Palestinian Territories in 20 years. The last such vote took place in 2006, when Hamas won a majority.

Hamas assumed control of Gaza the following year. Abbas was elected to a four-year term in 2005 and has remained in office since, ruling by decree for more than 15 years. Last month he announced that presidential elections would be held early next year.

Several issues must be resolved before the November vote can proceed. Israel has not yet commented on the announcement and would need to permit voting in occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinian legislative and presidential elections planned for 2021 were cancelled after Israel declined to guarantee access there.

In Gaza, Israel’s war has internally displaced nearly all of the enclave’s 2.1 million residents and destroyed more than 90 percent of the Strip, leaving the population registry outdated and basic infrastructure absent. “This is understood to be a consequence, an outcome if you will, of the dialogue between the Palestinian president, the Palestinian leadership and foreign countries, namely powerful countries,” said Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah.

“France, Saudi Arabia and others want to see change and what they call reform in the Palestinian Authority in order to provide it with [the] assistance that it sorely needs,” she added.

People are holding back their enthusiasm even though holding elections and a change in leadership remain the overwhelming demand of Palestinians according to polls, Odeh said.