PLO moves forward with plans to restructure of the Palestinian National Council ahead of elections
The plans, ratified in June after being announced by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last year, will expand the use of elections to select PNC members.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is restructuring its legislative body, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), ahead of upcoming elections set for November 28, according to Palestinian reports. This initiative, approved in June following an announcement by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, aims to select PNC members through elections, reducing the dependence on factional quotas, allocations, and special appointments.
With this new system, the PNC's membership will decrease significantly from 747 to 350, including 132 members representing Palestinians in the territories, 150 from the diaspora, and 67 selected by consensus to symbolize PLO factions.
Kuwait's Palestinian community elected the first two PNC members from abroad, Hisham Ibrahim and Saleh Qannam, shortly followed by Dr. Tamer Kadash representing the Palestinian community in Bahrain. Similarly, Muhannad Al-Shorbaji Al-Agha and Imad Al-Balawi were elected to represent Palestinians in Qatar. Efforts to implement similar elections in Lebanon, Syria, Europe, the United States, and South America are underway, with Palestinians forming preparatory committees to agree on the selection process. Each Palestinian community in these regions is allocated one seat for every 35,000 Palestinians.
Despite the PLO President's claim that the new system advances Palestinian democracy, it has faced criticism from other Palestinian officials, notably from Ramzi Rabah of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). He argued that forming a council without including Hamas is inconsistent with a comprehensive national dialogue.
Rabah urged Abbas to invite all factions, including Hamas, to an expanded meeting to establish mechanisms for forming the National Council and holding elections in a spirit of understanding.
International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) raised concerns over the exclusion of various Palestinian factions and forces from the new electoral process, which may not allow all Palestinians within those communities to participate. Hamas, however, has signaled its intention to participate in the elections as part of a broader coalition.
Candidates must recognize the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and adhere to its political and national program, leading to criticism of the new system.
Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, spoke about the elections with representatives of other Palestinian movements, emphasizing the need to broaden participation and oppose the appointment of representatives based solely on exclusivity. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has urged Abbas to postpone the PLC elections, suggesting a comprehensive national dialogue and dialogue to rebuild the PLO and hold all elections together.
This lack of consensus and the proposed amendments have sparked debate within the Palestinian political landscape.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
