After two decades without legislative elections, the Palestinian people may finally be called upon to renew their institutions. A presidential decree has set 28 November 2026 as the date for electing the 132 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, with voting due to take place in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The central question, however, is not simply whether the elections will take place, but whether Palestinians will be free to choose their representatives — including those who defend resistance — and whether the result will be respected.

The last legislative election was held in January 2006. Hamas, standing as the Change and Reform list, won 74 seats and defeated Fatah.

Rather than recognising the popular verdict, ‘Israel’, the United States and their allies imposed sanctions and worked to undermine the government led by Ismail Haniyeh. The experience showed that, for Western powers, Palestinian democracy is acceptable only when it produces the desired result.

Since then, Palestinian political life has remained trapped between occupation, internal division and institutional erosion.

The Legislative Council ceased to function and was dissolved in 2018. No presidential election has been held since 2005. Mahmoud Abbas, originally elected to a four-year term, has remained in power for more than two decades without once again submitting his leadership to a popular vote.

This democratic vacuum explains the importance of the announced elections, but also why Abbas is one of the process’s main sources of uncertainty.

The president has........

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