More than two decades after being elected to what was supposed to be a four-year term, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has once again postponed elections, extending a nearly 20-year wait for voters to choose a new legislature.
Abbas issued a decree Friday pushing Palestinian Legislative Council elections from next month to Sept. 11, 2027, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Presidential elections, which have not been held since Abbas' 2005 victory, are also scheduled for that date.
The delay allows Palestinian leaders to remain in power without facing voters and could further damage the credibility of the Palestinian Authority, which has faced criticism over corruption and its security cooperation with Israel.
NICARAGUA'S ORTEGA SAYS COUNTRY WILL 'NEVER AGAIN' HOLD ELECTIONS, SHUTTING OUT OPPOSITION
The Palestinian Authority, dominated by Abbas' Fatah party, governs parts of the West Bank under agreements reached in the 1990s.
Palestinian officials cited conditions in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem as reasons for postponing the vote. The Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, which Abbas heads, claimed Israel had blocked election materials and international observers from entering Gaza, according to The Associated Press.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the claim, accusing Abbas of trying to shift blame for the delay.
Abbas' "attempt to drag Israel into this, falsely claiming that Israel imposed obstacles to holding elections, is yet another ridiculous lie designed to evade responsibility and accountability," Saar wrote on X.
Hamas, meanwhile, welcomed the postponement, calling it "a step in the right direction" and urging further talks on rebuilding Palestinian institutions before holding elections.
Palestinians last held legislative elections in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of seats. Israel and Western countries subsequently boycotted the Hamas-led government, fueling unrest that ended with Hamas taking control of Gaza in 2007.
IRAN REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR HAMAS AS TRUMP PUSHES TO DISARM TERROR GROUP
Since then, Hamas has controlled Gaza while Abbas' Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority has governed parts of the West Bank.
The postponed election also threatened to bring new challenges to Abbas' leadership. Before the delay, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and a faction led by Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief who fell out with Abbas, had been discussing an unlikely political alliance.
"Abbas is terrified by the electoral alliance bringing our faction together with opposition factions and forces within Fatah that reject his leadership," Dimitri Dilliani, a spokesperson for Dahlan's faction, said in a statement.
The decision comes as the Palestinian Authority's future role in Gaza remains uncertain under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan reached last year.
The plan calls for the authority to eventually play a role in Gaza, but its immediate responsibilities remain unclear. Hamas continues to govern the territory, while a committee of Palestinian technocrats remains in Cairo awaiting permission to enter Gaza and oversee a transition of power.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
