Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Friday announcing the dates of the parliamentary and presidential elections to the Palestinian Authority.
Why it’s important: This is the first time in 15 years that this decree has been published. The last presidential election took place in 2005, with the victory of Abbas, and the last parliamentary elections in 2006, with the victory of Hamas.
Leading the news: Parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 22 and presidential elections for July 31, although those plans could still end.
- Abbas met today with the chairman of the central election committee and instructed him to prepare for elections in the West Bank, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and Israel-controlled East Jerusalem.
- Last week, the head of Hamas ’political office, Ismail Haniyeh, told Abbas in a letter that the movement would agree to hold elections as part of a process of national reconciliation.
Flashback: After Hamas won the 2006 elections, the Palestinian Authority deteriorated in a deep political crisis between Hamas and Fatah, Abbas’s party.
- The United States and other world powers announced that they would not cooperate with Hamas until it recognized Israel, denounced terrorism, and committed itself to prior agreements with Israel.
- Hamas refused to meet these conditions and continues to reject them to this day. The United States, the United Kingdom, the EU and other Western governments still boycott Hamas and the United States designates the group as a terrorist organization.
- In 2007, a civil war broke out in the Gaza Strip and Hamas seized the area by force.
The big picture: Abbas’s announcement comes after numerous failed attempts at reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and after several plans to hold elections.
- Abbas, who is 85 and is serving a 15-year term, is not very popular. Recent public opinion polls indicate he could lose to a Hamas candidate.
What follows: Many analysts are skeptical about whether these elections will actually take place.
- One of the main reefs is East Jerusalem. If Israel does not allow the vote there, the elections could be canceled.