Palestinian president postpones elections until late 2027

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed both legislative and presidential elections until September 11, 2027, according to a decree issued on Friday. The elections, initially scheduled for November 28, had been postponed from their original date. Abbas cited Israeli measures, including settler violence, military attacks, movement restrictions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the continued withholding of tax revenue, as reasons for the delay.

In Gaza, the decision cited exceptional security and humanitarian conditions, incomplete Israeli force withdrawal, and a lack of progress towards reconstruction. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the decree "a ridiculous lie designed to evade responsibility and accountability." Abbas had previously committed to holding elections as part of France's recognition of the State of Palestine last year. This postponement comes shortly after Abbas reaffirmed this commitment to the UN General Assembly.