Peloni: This political ruse is being used to support the Western claim that the PA has been reformed and is democratically based. The relevance of this shell game, no matter the outcome of this election, is to validate US involvement in the American Equity also known as the Palestinian Authority in the future governance of Gaza, when in fact the PA is a terrorist institution whose every iterations should be proscribed as such. While Hamas is prohibited from being included in these elections, it is notable that the same standard is not enforced to keep members of Abbas’ faction from being eligible as well. The PA’s role in terrorist funding and its many members who have been involved in terrorist attacks is well known and documented. This institution should be fully defunded, its members should be targeted for prosecution of war crimes, and every tie between the US and this vile institution should be severed. Instead, they are being given a new lease on life, and will soon this terrorist institution will be deemed ‘eligible’ to extend their weaponized ideology to Gaza where they will seamlessly be able to take over from Hamas, if Hamas is itself ever removed from power there.
The elections will be closely watched to see the trends. If things go well, this could boost the plans for change in Gaza.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN | APRIL 25, 2026
Image by landrachuk – Pixabay, CC0, Wikipedia
“According to the Central Election Commission in Ramallah, approximately 1.5 million voters in the occupied West Bank are eligible to cast their votes, in addition to 70,000 voters in the Deir al-Balah area in the central Gaza Strip,” the report said.
Palestinians head to polls
“For many Palestinians, this is more than just a municipal vote. It is a moment long-awaited,” he said.
“After years without national elections, the simple act of casting a ballot carries weight far beyond local governance. It reflects a deep public desire to be heard, to participate, and to shape the future through institutions, not slogans. In Hebron today, people are not just voting for a city council. They are expressing something much larger: a demand for representation, accountability, and change.”
“These scenes matter. When people stand in line to vote, despite frustration, despite political stagnation, it signals that the belief in civic life is still alive. And that may be the most important development of all.”
Palestinians have not had legislative elections since 2006. After those elections, there was a coup in Gaza by Hamas. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has clung to power. The PA has often postponed elections in the West Bank, arguing that Hamas is preventing elections in Gaza.
Hamas has sought to have elections in the West Bank so it can benefit, while preventing voting in Gaza since 2007. The EU and others have backed elections over the last two decades. Another complaint by the PA is that Israel prevents elections in East Jerusalem.
As such, Palestinians often have no way to test the popularity of various movements. Student elections have been one way to see which movement, Fatah, Hamas, or the others, is more powerful.
“Most of the electoral lists belong either to the Fatah movement, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, or to independents, while there are no lists linked to the Hamas movement,” Al-Ain noted. The vote pits Fatah against independent lists and also the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a far-left movement.
In Nablus and Ramallah, the report said that only one PA-backed list ran in the elections. The UN praised the elections.
One notable aspect of the elections is that they are also occurring in some parts of Gaza. Al-Ain said that this includes Deir al-Balah in the Central Camps area. The report said that this area was one of the “few areas in Gaza where a large number of residents were not displaced during the two-year war.” The report said that a private security company secured the vote in the areas in Gaza where it took place.
The elections will be closely watched to see the trends. If things go well, this could boost the plans for change in Gaza. Hamas is supposed to hand over weapons, and a technocratic government is supposed to run Gaza. Israel has opposed the PA running Gaza.
Over the years, prior to October 7, Israel enabled cash to be transferred to Hamas-run Gaza. Hamas grew much more powerful in running Gaza after the 2007 coup. It had already kidnapped Gilad Schalit in 2006.
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