Abbas Sets Palestinian Legislative Elections for November 28

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a July 9 decree setting November 28, 2026, for legislative elections. The decree calls on Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to elect members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and says a presidential election date will be set for the first quarter of 2027. Reports describe the vote, if held, as the first Palestinian legislative election in nearly two decades. The last vote in 2006 produced a Hamas victory, and the council has been inactive since the post-2007 Hamas-Fatah split, making the decree a consequential regional development for Israel.