A dubious PA election could be the political opening Palestine needs

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on July 9 calling elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council on November 28, and pledged a presidential election in early 2027. The article argues these elections are driven by external pressure from states like Saudi Arabia and Norway, not organic reform, but still present an opportunity to challenge Abbas's leadership. It notes Abbas lowered the candidacy age to 23 and electoral threshold to one percent, but also required candidates to sign a declaration of allegiance to the PLO program, which Hamas and other factions rejected. The article reports Abbas may walk back reforms by restoring the Legislative Council to 132 seats and appointing PNC members by consensus.

For the first time in years, Palestinian politics shows signs of life. On July 9, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree calling elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council — the PA's parliament, which he dissolved in 2018 — for November 28. Alongside a looser pledge to hold a presidential election in early 2027, Abbas has also moved to reconstitute the abeyant Palestinian National Council (PNC), the Palestine Liberation Organization's parliament. On June 4, Abbas issued a decree ratifying a new 350-seat structure: 200 seats for the occupied territories, to be filled by winners of an expanded, 200-member Legislative Council, and another 150 for the diaspora. These announcements follow other developments: in February, a provisional constitution was released; in April, municipal elections were held; in May, Fatah held its first general conference in nearly a decade. Hamas elected Khalil Al-Hayya as head of its political bureau on July 20. The article argues these decrees are primarily a response to external pressure for 'PA reform' from states like Saudi Arabia and Norway, not an organic effort. Abbas has latched onto the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution as a lifeline. The article contends the elections present an opportunity to break the leadership's stranglehold, despite Abbas's maneuvers to narrow participation, such as requiring candidates to sign a declaration of allegiance to the PLO program. It also reports Abbas may walk back reforms by restoring the Legislative Council to 132 seats and appointing PNC members by consensus.