According to the news of the official Palestinian agency WAFA, Abbas decided to hold the general elections, which he canceled, in 2027 together with the presidential elections.
According to the new decree issued by Abbas, the general elections planned to be held on November 28, 2026 and the presidential elections, which are stated to be held in 2027, will be held simultaneously on September 11, 2027.
With the new decree, Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were called to free and direct elections to determine the president and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
The news stated that the decision was taken as a result of national consultations with Palestinian political groups and forces.
It was stated that Israel's violations prevented the implementation of the previous election calendar and that appropriate political, security and field conditions should be created in order to hold free, fair and inclusive elections.
It was also noted that the decision was taken to enable a comprehensive national dialogue aimed at strengthening national unity, territorial integrity and the unity of the Palestinian political system.
The news pointed out that attacks by Israeli forces, expansion of settlement activities, attacks by Israelis usurping Palestinian lands, and raids in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, made election preparations difficult.
It was emphasized that restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement and the withholding of tax revenues belonging to the Palestinian administration also cause security, economic and administrative problems in terms of the preparation and implementation of elections.
The news reported that the extraordinary security and humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip were among the obstacles to the election process, and noted that "the regulations regarding the deployment of international stabilization forces and police forces in line with the UN Security Council resolution 2803 have not been implemented, reconstruction works have not started and the withdrawal process of Israeli forces from Gaza has not been completed."
The news also stated that Israel's restrictions on the access of Central Election Commission teams and international observers to the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem made election preparations and inspection of the elections difficult.
It was stated that the decree aims to guarantee the right of the Palestinian people to elect their representatives freely and democratically and to renew the democratic legitimacy of Palestinian institutions.
It was reported that the Central Election Commission was tasked with carrying out the preparations for the presidential and general elections, organizing and supervising the elections in line with the current general election law.
It was noted that the aim is to hold elections in a free, fair, transparent and inclusive manner in all Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.
On the other hand, a Palestinian source stated in a statement to WAFA that Israel did not allow representatives of the Central Election Commission to enter the Gaza Strip and occupied East Jerusalem as part of the preparations for the general elections planned for November 28.
With the decree published on July 9, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided to hold general elections in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip on November 28.
Of the approximately 2 million 970 thousand Palestinian voters, 1 million 590 thousand are in the West Bank, 1 million 240 thousand are in Gaza, and approximately 140 thousand are in Jerusalem.
The last general elections in Palestine were held in 2006 and Hamas won the majority of seats.
The internal conflicts between Hamas and Fatah, which started in 2007, resulted in Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip, while the Palestinian administration led by Fatah remained in the West Bank.
