Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday issued a presidential decree setting 28 November 2026 as the date for legislative elections , reviving the Palestinian electoral process after two decades of limbo, while presidential elections are scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
The decree marks the first official timetable for Palestinian elections since voting planned for 2021 was postponed after Israel refused to allow polling in East Jerusalem.
Abbas's decree calls on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem to participate in direct legislative elections in accordance with the amended General Elections Law.
The announcement came less than a month after Abbas approved amendments to the election law, including increasing the number of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council from 132 to 200, lowering the minimum age for candidates to 23, reducing the electoral threshold to 1 percent, increasing women's representation, and requiring candidates to pledge commitment to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), its political program and relevant international resolutions.
The latter provision has been rejected by Hamas and several other Palestinian factions, which argue that it limits political pluralism and consolidates the PLO's political authority.
Election timetable announced
According to Palestinian officials and political analysts, the elections can renew the legitimacy of political institutions after years without a functioning legislature and growing international calls for political reform.
Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, said in press statements that the Palestinian leadership had decided to proceed with elections as a "national and constitutional obligation that can no longer be postponed."
He added that the Central Elections Commission would immediately begin preparations while efforts continue to address obstacles that prevented elections from taking place in 2021, particularly those related to East Jerusalem.
Majdalani said, however, that the Gaza Strip now presents an additional major challenge.
"The main obstacle is no longer limited to Jerusalem but also includes Gaza under the current political and administrative circumstances," he said.
He added that United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nikolay Mladenov could regard himself as having a UN mandate to oversee Gaza's transitional phase, which, according to Majdalani, may create legal and political complications for organising elections.
"We cannot hold elections without Gaza . Therefore, it is necessary to work with all parties to resolve this issue while also ensuring the participation of Palestinians in Jerusalem," he said.
Meanwhile, Hamas and several other Palestinian factions continue to oppose the recent amendments to the election law.
Earlier, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestinian National Initiative and other factions called for comprehensive national dialogue before any elections are held, warning against what they described as attempts to reshape the Palestinian political system under external pressure.
Political and logistical challenges
Speaking with The New Arab , Palestinian political analysts said the elections face political, legal and logistical challenges.
"Beyond disagreements among Palestinian factions, organising elections in Gaza remains difficult after nearly three years of conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands of residents and damaged large parts of the enclave's infrastructure," Ahed Ferwana, a Gaza-based political analyst, told TNA .
"Updating voter registration, establishing polling stations and ensuring access for voters and candidates would require extensive logistical preparations," he said ", East Jerusalem also remains a key obstacle."
Israel's refusal to allow voting in the city led Abbas to postpone the 2021 elections indefinitely, and Israel has not announced its position regarding the newly scheduled vote.
Political researcher Mohammed Hijazi told TNA that setting an election date does not necessarily guarantee that elections will be held.
"The experience of 2021 remains relevant," he said. "The outcome depends on Israel's position regarding Jerusalem and on the political and security situation in Gaza ."
Hijazi added that elections in Gaza would also require coordination with the authorities administering the territory, arrangements with the transitional administration and practical measures to update voter records following major demographic changes caused by the conflict.
"The latest presidential decree sends a positive signal but does not by itself guarantee that elections will take place," Mustafa Ibrahim, a Gaza-based political analyst, told TNA .
He said the process still faces three principal challenges: Israel's position on East Jerusalem, internal Palestinian divisions and the exceptional circumstances in Gaza .
"Any elections that do not enjoy broad national consensus and do not ensure participation in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza remain vulnerable to postponement, as happened in 2021," he said.
Hopes tempered by uncertainty
But Ramallah-based political analyst Esmat Mansour believes that the planned elections are an opportunity to rebuild Palestinian political institutions after years of stagnation.
"Palestinians need elections that produce a new leadership, strengthen public participation and renew the legitimacy of the political system," he told TNA , saying that accountability through the ballot box remains essential regardless of who holds power.
Among Palestinians, reactions to the announcement reflected both hope and scepticism.
Mohammed Abdullah, a 46-year-old government employee from Ramallah, told TNA that "the Palestinians have waited years for elections."
"People are tired of political stagnation. We need a legislative council that exercises oversight and a leadership with a renewed public mandate," he said.
In Gaza , the situation is completely different. Um Ahmed, a 38-year-old displaced woman living in a tent with her family, questioned how voting could be organised under current conditions.
"We hope elections will take place, but where will people vote?" she remarked to TNA . "Schools have been destroyed, families are scattered in tents and shelters, and many people have lost their identification documents."
Ahmed Abu Salem, a 41-year-old displaced resident whose home was destroyed, told TNA that the Palestinians support elections in principle but doubted they could be conducted under current circumstances.
"Before talking about ballot boxes, there must be a real ability to organise the process fairly," he said.