Abbas announces PLO council elections by end of 2025

The vote for the Palestinian National Council would be the first since 2006, as the PA faces calls for reform and seeks a post-war Gaza role.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced Saturday that elections for the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), will take place by the end of 2025.

The move, publicized by the PA’s official WAFA news agency, would mark the first such vote since 2006.

The PNC is responsible for setting the policy of the PLO and electing a smaller forum that in turn selects the PLO’s leadership.

This council is distinct from the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the parliament of the Palestinian Authority, which has also not seen elections since 2006, when Hamas won a majority.

Abbas’s announcement comes as the PA faces growing pressure from Arab and Western countries to implement reforms.

The international community, led by the United States and European allies, has urged the PA to strengthen its governance capabilities, especially as discussions intensify about who will control Gaza after the current Israel-Hamas war ends.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected any role for the PA in post-war Gaza, though the U.S. and others have signaled support for a reformed PA taking the lead.

Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S., and the EU, has controlled the enclave since 2007 after a brief and bloody civil conflict with Abbas’s Fatah faction.

According to the PA’s statement, the revamped PNC will remain a 350-member body, with two-thirds of its members drawn from the “homeland” — a term understood to includee Judea and Samaria, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem — and one-third from the Palestinian diaspora.

However, the statement provided no details on how war-ravaged Gaza residents or eastern Jerusalem Palestinians might participate in the electoral process.

The announcement also stated that candidates for the PNC must adhere to the PLO’s political program and respect relevant international resolutions.

A preparatory committee will be established to oversee the election arrangements, with a full plan expected to be submitted to Abbas within two weeks.

Abbas has previously promised elections for both the PLC and the Palestinian presidency, most recently in 2021, but he postponed them indefinitely, citing Israel’s refusal to allow voting in east Jerusalem.

In a further bid to gain international favor, the PA recently amended its controversial “pay-for-slay” policy, which provided stipends to Palestinians convicted or killed for attacks against Israelis.

The practice has drawn widespread condemnation, particularly from the U.S. and Israel.

Last month, Abbas also condemned Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre for the first time and reiterated his call for the group to release all remaining hostages still held in Gaza.

While the promise of elections could boost the PA’s standing, skepticism remains high given the repeated postponements over the past decade and a half.

It also remains unclear whether meaningful electoral participation can be achieved amid the political and logistical challenges posed by the ongoing war and deep Palestinian divisions.