Hussein Al-Sheikh: We pledge to advance the election date if conditions permit

Al-Sheikh stated that the Palestinian leadership confirms its full commitment to implementing the Basic Law, including holding general elections, "based on the belief in pluralism, the peaceful transfer of power, and the renewal of leadership and its legitimacy through the ballot box."

He added: "We pledge to advance the date for holding presidential and legislative elections simultaneously and interconnectedly as soon as the appropriate conditions are met that ensure the integrity, transparency, and credibility of the electoral process."

He stressed that "elections are not a formal display, but a fundamental issue that expresses the will of a people that must be exercised with a minimum of dignity and independence."

Al-Sheikh called on the international community to pressure Israel to create the necessary conditions for holding Palestinian elections in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

He demanded that the international community pressure the Israeli authorities to create a climate that allows for elections to be held in the Palestinian territories by stopping the "repressive and terrorist" measures carried out by the Israeli army and settlers.

He also called for the removal of more than a thousand Israeli checkpoints, which he said have turned the West Bank into isolated enclaves and detention cantons, to stop Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip, and to return Palestinian funds that he said are being looted through what he called "Israeli piracy."

In another post, Al-Sheikh affirmed the commitment to a comprehensive Palestinian national dialogue, with the participation of all factions and political forces, in a spirit of responsibility and partnership.

He said that this contributes to strengthening national unity and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their homeland, and to reaching a consensus on creating the necessary conditions for holding general elections in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

On Saturday, the Palestinian President issued a presidential decree setting September 11, 2027, as the date for holding simultaneous presidential and legislative elections, replacing the previous date set for holding legislative elections in November 2026.

On July 9, Abbas issued a decree setting November 28 as the date for holding legislative elections in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

On September 26, the Central Elections Commission began receiving applications for the registration of electoral lists, and during the first four days, it received applications for the registration of 8 lists, with the reception of applications to continue until October 13, according to the previously announced schedule.

The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in 2006, in which the Hamas movement won a majority of seats, before internal fighting broke out between it and the Fatah movement in 2007, which ended with Hamas's control of the Gaza Strip, while the Palestinian Authority led by the Fatah movement remained in the West Bank.

Since 2007, the work of the Palestinian Legislative Council has been suspended, before the Supreme Constitutional Court issued a decision to dissolve it in 2018.