Israel has refused to allow representatives of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission to enter Gaza and occupied East Jerusalem ahead of legislative elections scheduled for late November, a Palestinian source said Tuesday.
– The Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted an unnamed official source as saying the Israeli government had denied the commission entry to oversee the electoral process. No further details were provided.
– On July 9, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree setting Nov. 28 as the date for legislative elections in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza. If held, they would be the first such elections since 2006.
– The commission began accepting applications to register electoral lists on Sept. 26, receiving eight applications during the first four days. Registration remains open until Oct. 13.
– Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh told journalists on Aug. 2 that an alternative arrangement would be pursued if elections could not take place because they were prevented or obstructed in Gaza or any other part of the Palestinian territories.
– “The alternative plan is to form the Palestinian National Council by consensus, as the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” he said.
– About 2.97 million Palestinians are eligible to vote, including approximately 1.59 million in the West Bank, 1.24 million in Gaza and 140,000 holders of Jerusalem identity cards.
– The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of seats.
– A political split followed between Hamas and Fatah. Hamas took control of Gaza about a year later, while the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority remained in the West Bank.
– The Palestinian Legislative Council has been inactive since 2007. The Supreme Constitutional Court ordered its dissolution in 2018.