Abbas Postpones Palestinian Elections to September 2027

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree on Saturday that cancels the legislative election set for November 28. The decree schedules presidential and legislative elections together for September 11, 2027, and blames "obstacles posed by Israeli measures," according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar rejected that explanation on Saturday night. He called Abbas a "corrupt dictator" who had "once again deceived the international community."

"His 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," Sa'ar said. "For over twenty years, Abbas has been selling the same thing: lies."

The new order summons voters in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and Gaza to cast ballots in "free and direct elections to elect the Palestinian president and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council simultaneously, in accordance with the law." Abbas issued it after a decision by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and talks with Palestinian factions.

The decree lists settlement expansion, "settler violence," movement restrictions and withheld Palestinian revenues as grounds for the delay. On Gaza, it points to "exceptional security and humanitarian conditions," an incomplete Israeli withdrawal, stalled reconstruction and the failure to deploy international stabilization forces and police. It also cites Israeli limits on access to Gaza and eastern Yerushalayim for election staff and international observers. The postponement, according to the decree, is meant to make room for a "comprehensive national dialogue to strengthen Palestinian unity."

Sa'ar also pointed to reform pledges he said Abbas never fulfilled, among them ending payments to terrorists and their families and halting incitement in Palestinian schools. A day earlier, he noted that the PA has held no presidential election since 2005 and no legislative election since 2006.

According to Reuters, Hussein al-Sheikh, the PA's vice president, sent an October 8 letter to France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, writing that the "anticipated political, security and economic conditions" on which the November date rested "have not materialized." Two Palestinian officials told the news agency that Fatah and Hamas leaders had agreed in Cairo on Wednesday to put off the vote.

The November date had followed a pledge Abbas made to French President Emmanuel Macron, Ynet reported. On Thursday, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said France still wanted the elections to take place, according to Arutz Sheva. "These elections will enable the Palestinian leadership to champion its people's legitimate aspirations with renewed legitimacy, while preserving the two-state solution," Confavreux said.