Mahmoud Abbas sets Palestinian legislative elections for Nov. 28
The Facts
- Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree setting Palestinian legislative elections for Nov. 28, 2026.
- If held, the Nov. 28 vote would be the first Palestinian legislative election since 2006.
- The decree calls on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to participate in the legislative election for the Palestinian Legislative Council.
- Presidential elections are planned for the first quarter of 2027, with the date to be announced under the law.
- In the last legislative election in 2006, Hamas won a majority, defeating Abbas's Fatah movement.
- After Hamas took control of Gaza following clashes with Fatah in 2007, the Palestinian legislature stopped functioning or meeting regularly.
- Whether the Nov. 28 election will actually be held remains uncertain.
Context
Who is being called to vote?
According to the decree as reported by multiple outlets, Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are being called to take part in free and direct legislative elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council Anadolu Ajansı,infobae,Deutsche Welle.
Why is this election notable?
It would be the first Palestinian legislative election since 2006, ending a gap of about two decades without a new parliamentary vote Anadolu Ajansı,Le Monde,Times of Israel. The legislature has been largely inactive since Hamas won that 2006 election and later took control of Gaza after clashes with Fatah N-tv,Dawn.
What is still unresolved?
Several reports say it is not yet clear whether the election will actually take place, despite the decree setting a date NYT,Deutsche Welle. Those reports note that similar election plans have faced doubts or failed to go forward in the past NYT,Le Monde.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Restarting a legislature dormant since the Hamas-Fatah split would restore a missing channel of Palestinian political representation, if the vote actually happens.
- Where Left and Right split
- Whether the story is about giving Palestinians across divided territories renewed representation, or about proving political authority can sustain functioning institutions beyond a decree.
How left and right read it
What matters here is the chance to revive a legislative body that stopped functioning or meeting regularly after Hamas took control of Gaza following clashes with Fatah. A legislative vote open to Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip speaks directly to representation across divided communities, even as the uncertainty over whether it will happen shows how basic political participation is still not secure.
Abbas’s decree matters because a legislature that stopped functioning after Hamas took control of Gaza is at least being put back before voters, and that speaks directly to whether political authority will rest on an operating institution rather than permanent drift. The uncertainty over whether the vote will actually be held is the key point: decrees are easy; durable self-government requires follow-through.
The receipts — all 90 sources
Independent coverage (50)
Facts first. Then every angle.
The day’s biggest stories in one short brief — the facts everyone agrees on, then the competing values behind the headlines. Free in your inbox.