A Palestinian official source said on Tuesday 6 October that the Israeli government had refused to allow the Palestinian Central Elections Commission to enter the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem to oversee preparations for the legislative elections scheduled for 28 November 2026.
Palestinian warning over obstruction of commission’s work
The source said the refusal would obstruct the commission’s work in two areas covered by the Palestinian electoral process, as it continues preparations for the vote according to the announced timetable. No official Israeli position has yet been issued on the Palestinian source’s account. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree last July setting 28 November 2026 as the date for the legislative elections.
The decree called on Palestinian voters in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to take part in the vote. The Central Elections Commission had earlier affirmed its readiness to carry out the electoral process, stating that its plan included holding elections in Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
It also called on the international community to support the electoral process and press for the removal of obstacles preventing it from carrying out its duties across the Palestinian territories. The scheduled legislative elections form part of a process aimed at resuming the Palestinian electoral process after years in which general elections were suspended.
Voting arrangements in Jerusalem and the interim agreement
The approved arrangements provide for voters in the three Palestinian areas to take part, making access for commission staff an essential part of preparations ahead of the vote. Voter participation in Jerusalem is of particular importance, given that the mechanism for organising the vote there is linked to arrangements guaranteed by the interim agreement signed by the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Israel in 1995.
The Central Elections Commission said arrangements for East Jerusalem included voters casting their ballots at a number of Israeli post offices, based on the mechanism applied during previous Palestinian elections.
Previous restrictions on the commission’s activities in Jerusalem
The commission also said that Israeli authorities had previously imposed restrictions on its electoral activities in Jerusalem, including closing centres designated for voter registration and preventing commission staff from carrying out their work inside the city. Meanwhile, the commission continues to implement the designated stages of the electoral process.
Candidacy procedures began last September as part of preparations to complete the remaining organisational and legal requirements related to the legislative vote scheduled for November. Under the latest amendments to the election law, the Palestinian Legislative Council consists of 132 members, who will be elected in the forthcoming poll.
After the legislative elections, the presidential decree on the elections provides for Palestinian presidential elections to be held at a later date during the first quarter of 2027, as part of the timetable established for resuming general electoral processes.
