Abbas calls Palestinian legislative elections for November, first since 2006
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on July 9 setting legislative elections for November 28 across the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza — the first such vote in 20 years. Abbas, who has governed largely by decree for more than 15 years amid accusations of corruption and consolidated power, is under pressure from France, Saudi Arabia and others seeking visible reform of the Palestinian Authority as a condition for deeper engagement.
The last legislative elections, in 2006, were won unexpectedly by Hamas, splitting Palestinian politics and leading to Hamas’s 2007 takeover of Gaza — the reason no vote has been held since. Whether this one proceeds is uncertain. Israel has not guaranteed that Palestinians can vote in East Jerusalem, the issue over which the 2021 elections were cancelled, and Gaza’s infrastructure and population registries are in ruins after the war, with much of the territory destroyed.
Calling a date is the easy part; the announcement functions partly as a signal to external backers that the PA is willing to seek a fresh mandate. Delivering a credible vote across three fragmented jurisdictions, and managing whatever result it produces, is the far harder test.