PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Thursday, July 9, 2026, calling for legislative elections to be held on November 28, 2026. The decree specifies that elections will take place in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

If these elections proceed, they would mark the first legislative vote in the Palestinian Territories in two decades. The last legislative elections occurred in 2006, when Hamas defeated the Fatah party. Hamas later took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. The Palestinian Legislative Council was formally dissolved in 2018.

Mahmoud Abbas was elected to a four-year term in 2005 and has since ruled by decree after his term expired. Last month, Abbas stated that presidential elections would be held in early 2027. In June 2025, Abbas sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron committing to holding elections under international supervision.

The Wafa news agency stated, "The presidential decree calls upon the Palestinian people in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip to participate in free and direct legislative elections to elect members of the Palestinian Legislative Council." Reporter Nour Odeh described the decree as "a consequence, an outcome if you will, of the dialogue between the Palestinian president, the Palestinian leadership and foreign countries, namely powerful countries." Odeh also noted the desire for reform within the Palestinian Authority, stating, "France, Saudi Arabia and others want to see change and what they call reform in the Palestinian Authority in order to provide it with [the] assistance that it sorely needs."

A U.S.-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hamas took effect in October 2025, which led to the creation of a technocratic committee intended to temporarily govern Gaza. Hamas announced earlier this month that it would dissolve its government and hand over authority to a technocratic governing committee, though this committee has not yet entered Gaza. France, the U.K., Canada, and Australia recognized the State of Palestine in September 2025. Local elections were held in the municipality of Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on April 25, 2026, with just under 16,000 people voting.

Holding elections in East Jerusalem requires Israeli approval; Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967. Israel has not yet commented on the Palestinian Authority's election declaration. As of late June 2026, Gaza's Health Ministry reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the cease-fire took effect on October 10, 2025. The United Nations reported more than 1,000 settler attacks in the West Bank as of June 2026, and more than 2,200 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank this year due to settler violence and access restrictions.