Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Friday that parliamentary and presidential elections would be held in the country for the first time in 15 years.
Abbas said in a resolution that the parliamentary elections would take place on May 22, and that the presidential race would be held on July 31 in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
These are the first votes of their kind since 2006, when the militant group Hamas achieved a resounding victory and began a clash with Abbas’ Fatah party, plunging the Palestinian Authority (PA) into a political crisis. Hamas later took control of the Gaza Strip in a bloody battle.
Abbas first won the presidency in the 2005 election to determine the successor to the late Yasser Arafat.
While Fatah and Hamas have promised to hold elections for more than a decade, they have not been able to repair their bitter chasm, and it is far from certain that votes will be cast later this year. Hamas told Abbas last week that it would agree to take part in a reconciliation effort.
Hamas in a statement on Friday expressed its “strong desire to make this commitment a success” according to The Associated Press.
“We have worked in recent months to overcome all obstacles to achieve this day, and we have shown a lot of flexibility,” reads a statement. It also called for dialogue before the vote.
The election could pose major dangers for both parties, given growing dissatisfaction with the worsening coronavirus pandemic, lack of progress with the pressure on state capture, poverty and more.
It seems, however, that Abbas is in particular steep political danger; the 85-year-old leader has been plagued by health issues and is particularly unpopular, and it is possible he could lose to a Hamas candidate.
Abbas’ PA was ousted during the Trump administration, which undertook a series of Israeli-led actions, including moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and closing the PA’s diplomatic mission in Washington. Should the election go ahead, it could still have major consequences for both Israel and the US
If Abbas loses with a Hamas candidate, it will raise important issues over the West Bank government. It would be virtually impossible for a candidate of the militant group, recognized by Israel and many Western countries as a terrorist group, to take control of the West Bank, over which Jerusalem maintains overall security control.
Abbas’s government in the West Bank is coordinating with Israel on security issues, but Hamas has waged three wars with the Israeli army since taking over the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas victory could also throw an important monkey key into the elected president Joe Biden
Joe Biden Confirmation hearing for Biden’s DNI choice postponed Biden’s inauguration exercise on Sunday due to security concerns: Murkowski reports that it would be ‘appropriate’ to prevent Trump from taking office again‘s plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and restore Palestinian aid, as Washington views Hamas as a terrorist group.
It is still uncertain whether votes can be cast later this year, given the inability to hold elections in the past year. It is also possible that Israel is blocking votes in East Jerusalem, which could also jeopardize the election.