He explained that the upcoming dialogue will discuss various Palestinian issues, including the legislative elections, confirming that "the elections are on schedule," unless the Central Elections Commission announces its inability to hold them, or a consensual national position regarding holding or postponing them crystallizes.
He said that the meetings that took place in Cairo "may result in a comprehensive dialogue meeting in the next few days," noting that the issue of postponing the elections may be on the agenda of this dialogue "as long as there is a national consensus regarding it."
On July 9, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree setting November 28 as the date for legislative elections in occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, which would be the first of their kind since 2006, if held.
Dawla accused Israel of seeking to prevent the Palestinian elections from taking place, saying that "the occupying state does not want us to reach anything related to sovereignty and the embodiment of the Palestinian state."
He added that the Legislative Council represents, in his view, the embodiment of Palestinian sovereignty, noting that Israel had previously prevented the elections from being held in Jerusalem.
He continued that the Gaza Strip is "almost under occupation and under its control," considering that Israel might impose obstacles to holding elections in the Strip.
He said that Fatah has spoken with the international community, especially the European Union, regarding the importance of the elections, calling for pressure to be exerted on Israel "not to obstruct them."
He added that obstructing the elections in the Gaza Strip "would hinder the elections in general."
These statements come in light of the situation in the Gaza Strip following the genocide war started by Israel with American support in October 2023, which has left more than 74,000 dead and over 175,000 wounded Palestinians, most of them children and women.
On September 29, 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a 20-point plan regarding Gaza, which provides for a ceasefire, the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the entry of aid, and a phased Israeli withdrawal linked to the disarmament of factions and the deployment of a temporary international force to achieve stability.
The first phase of the ceasefire entered into force in October 2025, and included a ceasefire and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, while Tel Aviv continues to violate the agreement daily.
On November 17, 2025, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 with the support of 13 countries and the abstention of Russia and China, approving the Trump plan for Gaza, the establishment of a "Peace Council" and a temporary international stability force, and supporting a Palestinian technocratic committee to manage the affairs of the Strip and coordinate aid and reconstruction.
On January 14, US envoy Steve Witkoff announced the start of the second phase of the Trump plan for Gaza, which includes forming a transitional Palestinian technocratic administration, disarmament, and the reconstruction of the Strip.
Dawla pointed to the existence of Palestinian positions, including within Fatah and Hamas, that see the possibility of postponing the elections in light of the existing political circumstances, explaining that the first initiative in this regard was put forward by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
He said that the Popular Front demanded that the elections be postponed until after the national dialogue and the reaching of national consensus, adding that its initiative represents "a paper that may be relied upon in the dialogue."
He explained that the understandings that took place in Cairo were "positive" and could lead to a comprehensive national dialogue, noting that the Popular Front's initiative could form a basis for discussing the issue of elections, whether to agree on holding them or postponing them.
He stressed that the matter is "subject to discussion," and that the final decision is linked to national consensus.
Regarding the importance of the elections for Palestinians in light of the Israeli genocide war in the Gaza Strip, Dawla said that, in addition to being a "democratic entitlement" and a right of the Palestinian people to choose their representatives and express their will, they represent a "national interest to embody Palestinian legitimacy."
He added that the elections aim to preserve Palestinian sovereignty and the institutions of the State of Palestine, considering that the Legislative Council is "the most important legal, legislative, and sovereign institution of the State of Palestine."
He said that holding the elections would also "block the path to any solutions" that seek to separate the Gaza Strip from the rest of the Palestinian territories.
He added: "The elections unite the geography of the homeland in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and preserve the national legitimacy of the Palestinian people."
Dawla indicated that the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) will hold a meeting on Saturday, following a meeting of the Fatah Central Committee on Friday, explaining that the developments of the Cairo meetings, the national dialogue, and the elections will be present in the discussion.
He said that the Executive Committee will discuss "what happened in Cairo in the last two days regarding discussions related first to the national dialogue agreed upon by the Executive Committee in its previous meeting, and also what might develop on the issue of elections."
He added that the discussion of these issues will be "according to what has arrived from Cairo, and in accordance with what is consistent with national consensus and national interest."
A Palestinian source had said that Israel refused to allow representatives of the Central Elections Commission to enter the Gaza Strip and the occupied city of East Jerusalem as part of the preparations for the legislative elections scheduled for late November.
The Palestinian news agency "Wafa" quoted an unnamed "official" source as saying that the Israeli government refused to allow the commission to enter Gaza and Jerusalem to follow up on preparations for holding the elections, without further details.
On September 26, the Elections Commission began receiving applications for the registration of electoral lists, and received applications for the registration of 8 lists during the first four days, while the reception of applications continues until October 13.
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh stated in a meeting with journalists on August 2 that if it is impossible to hold the elections "due to preventing or obstructing their conduct in the Gaza Strip or any other part of the Palestinian territories, the alternative plan is to form the National Council by consensus, considering the Palestine Liberation Organization the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people."
The number of Palestinians eligible to vote is about 2 million and 970 thousand people, including about 1 million and 590 thousand in the West Bank, 1 million and 240 thousand in the Gaza Strip, and about 140 thousand Jerusalem ID holders.
The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in 2006, in which Hamas won a majority of seats, before internal fighting broke out between it and Fatah in 2007, which ended with Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip, while the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority remained in the West Bank.
Since 2007, the work of the Palestinian Legislative Council has been suspended, while the Supreme Constitutional Court issued a decision to dissolve it in 2018.
