Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that the parliamentary elections planned to be held on November 28, 2026 have been postponed for about a year.
According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Abbas decided to hold parliamentary and presidential elections simultaneously on September 11, 2027, with the decree he published on October 10.
The decree stated that Israel's practices and security conditions in the Palestinian territories prevent the holding of free, fair and inclusive elections.
The Palestinian administration cited Israel's attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the expansion of settlements and settler violence as the main reasons for the postponement of the elections.
It was stated that Israel's restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement and its failure to transfer tax revenues belonging to the Palestinian administration also made election preparations difficult.
The decree also stated that Israel's restriction of entry of election commission employees and international observers to Gaza and East Jerusalem constitutes an obstacle to holding elections.
CONDITIONS IN GAZA PREVENT ELECTIONS
The Palestinian administration announced that the security and humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip were also effective in postponing the elections.
In the decree, the reasons were listed as the incomplete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the lack of progress in reconstruction efforts, and the failure to implement the regulations regarding the deployment of international stabilization forces and police units.
The Palestinian administration stated that it aims to ensure the participation of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the elections.
REACTION FROM ISRAEL TO ABBAS
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reacted to Abbas' decision to postpone the elections.
In his statement on his social media account, Saar pointed out that elections have not been held in Palestine for nearly 20 years and rejected Abbas' accusations against Israel.
Saar described these reasons as an excuse to avoid responsibility and accountability.
Israel generally prevents the Palestinian administration from holding elections in East Jerusalem, which it occupied in 1967 and later annexed. Israel's annexation decision is not recognized by most of the international community.
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN HELD IN PALESTINE FOR 20 YEARS
The last presidential elections in Palestine were held in 2005, and the last parliamentary elections were held in 2006.
The conflicts between Fatah and Hamas after Hamas won the parliamentary elections in 2006 led to a deep division in Palestinian politics.
While Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, the Palestinian administration led by Abbas continued its rule in some parts of the West Bank.
Although Abbas's presidential term ended in 2009, he continued to rule the country by decrees as new elections could not be held.
In April 2026, local elections were held in the West Bank and Gaza's Deir al-Belah city. These elections were the first votes held in Gaza since 2006.
FETIH AND HAMAS MEET ABOUT POSTPONEMENT
Speaking to Reuters, two Palestinian officials stated that the Fatah movement, led by Abbas, and Hamas representatives agreed to postpone the elections at the meeting held in Cairo.
It was stated that the decision was taken after consultations with Palestinian political groups, and that the aim was to overcome the problems in the election process and conduct a comprehensive dialogue for national unity.
On the other hand, the research published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in August revealed that support for both Fatah and Hamas has declined.
According to the research, a significant portion of Palestinians hold both movements responsible for the continuation of the political division between Gaza and the West Bank.
The postponement of the elections came just weeks after Abbas announced in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24 that he would stick to the November 2026 election calendar.
Abbas had made a written commitment to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held during France's recognition of the Palestinian state in September 2025.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the holding of elections is important for the democratic legitimacy of Palestinian institutions and welcomed the initiative of the European Union to establish an election observation mission.
