Kharisha to 'Filastin': Legislative elections may reproduce the same political system

The Second Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Hassan Kharisha, warned that holding legislative elections under current circumstances, with the exclusion of Gaza and Jerusalem, may reproduce the existing political scene instead of bringing real change. He stressed that the priority is to stop the aggression and not separate Gaza from the West Bank, considering that the elections are not a purely Palestinian decision but come within international pressures. He emphasized the need for inclusive elections and not excluding resistance factions.

The Second Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Hassan Kharisha, warned that holding legislative elections under current circumstances, especially with talk of excluding the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, may lead to reproducing the existing political scene instead of bringing real change to the Palestinian political system. He affirmed that if elections are held comprehensively and fairly, they could provide a way out to end the state of unilateralism and unify the Palestinian street. Kharisha told the newspaper "Filastin" that the priority at this stage is to stop the aggression and the war of genocide, and not to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. He pointed out that the upcoming elections are not a purely Palestinian decision but came within the context of international demands and pressures related to reform and change. He believed that the priority should have been to rebuild the broader Palestinian national framework, including a national council representing Palestinians in the diaspora, inside, and the territories occupied in 1967. He added that the elections raise a big question about their ability to produce real legitimacy under current conditions. He stressed that holding elections should not be linked to conditions that lead to the exclusion of Palestinian political forces, considering that some conditions seem designed to exclude factions that adopt the resistance approach. He wondered about the possibility of holding real elections under the exceptional circumstances in Jerusalem and Gaza. He warned that limited participation may give the elections a de facto character and reproduce the existing authority. He expressed skepticism about the seriousness of the elections despite European pressures, noting that the absence of Hamas and Islamic Jihad would pose a major problem regarding the new council's representation of the Palestinian street. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had said that elections would be held on November 28, 2026, but that faced demands to include the National Council and the presidency of the Authority. Abbas continues to lead the Authority since his term ended in 2009 without new presidential elections.