Palestinian national dialogue awaits Cairo approval to postpone legislative elections

The Palestinian leadership and factions are awaiting a response from Egypt on hosting a new national dialogue.

Unlike previous rounds, which focused on reconciliation, the proposed talks would discuss postponing the Palestinian legislative elections and reaching as a national consensus, rather than addressing the already eroding legitimacy of the Palestinian political system.

Although Palestinian leadership statements, specifically those by Jibril Rajoub, secretary of the Fatah Central Committee and head of the national dialogue committee, were on setting a date and call for the dialogue, the Egyptian leadership has yet to respond officially.

Arrangements around the Palestinian National Council suspended

As part of creating an atmosphere conducive to national dialogue, the Palestinian leadership has made several gestures to demonstrate its good intentions.

The most significant act was suspending arrangements concerning the Palestinian National Council, according to Palestinian sources who spoke to The New Arab.

The sources, who requested anonymity, said, "Arrangements for the National Council have been suspended, meaning those related to appointing or reaching an agreement with some factions on members of the National Council in the diaspora, as a gesture of goodwill towards the dialogue."

"This was an unannounced decision by the PLO Executive Committee last Friday, but the factions were informed of it," the sources added.

The above decision was not the only matter related to the national dialogue. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree-law on Sunday under which the nomination period for the elections was extended to 18 days from 12.

The sources told The New Arab that the aim of the national dialogue centres on reaching a general national consensus to postpone the Palestinian elections and set a new date for the legislative and presidential elections.

If there are disagreements that cannot be resolved, the decision will be to maintain the date of the legislative elections on 28 November.

"Although we sense that the Egyptians are not enthusiastic, we expect there to be an official Egyptian response this week to set a date for the national dialogue meeting," said one source.

Although the dialogue has yet to begin, there is consensus that all the parties that will sit at the dialogue table are in crisis, and none of them is doing well.

Even President Mahmoud Abbas is in crisis mode like the everyone else.

Fatah sources told The New Arab that "Hamas wants to be part of Palestinian legitimacy, and there is flexibility on the part of President Abbas for Hamas to obtain some seats on the Palestinian Central Council, which would naturally make it represented in the National Council, meaning it would become represented in the Palestine Liberation Organisation."

"This proposal must be met by Hamas abandoning any alliances with the reformist current led by Mohammed Dahlan, which could lead to the separation of the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, and by giving the UAE a free hand in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Hamas remaining nominally in power as it wants," the sources in Fatah added.

But sources close to Hamas said TNA, "So far, we have not been invited to the national dialogue being discussed, and we have not contacted any official in Fatah or the Palestinian leadership to ask them to postpone the Palestinian legislative elections, as is being claimed."

"We are carrying out high-level coordination with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, whose initiative is based on arrangements for a transitional phase to unify the Palestinian position based on national consensus rather than unilateralism," the sources in Hamas added. "We believe there is a need for the reformist current to be part of the national dialogue being planned".

However, Abbas rejects the reformist current's participation in the national dialogue, according to other sources who spoke to TNA.

The sources confirmed that "dialogue with the reformist current is an internal Fatah dialogue. It will take place after or before the national dialogue, but it will not participate in it".

According to information obtained by TNA, a delegation from Hamas leadership travelled to Egypt on Monday, 28 September, to hold talks and coordinate positions ahead of the official national dialogue.

"We support the comprehensive national dialogue that was called for by the Executive Committee. We have continued and still demand it as an obligation to confront all the national, political and livelihood challenges in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and to agree on a mechanism for holding the Palestinian elections and all issues related to the electoral process for the National Council and the legislature, as happened in the 2021 dialogues to prepare for the elections and the consensus reached over them," Majida al-Masri, deputy secretary-general of the Democratic Front, told TNA. "This can be done now, and it does not conflict with holding the legislative elections on their scheduled date of 28 November."

"If the Palestinian factions decide through the national dialogue sessions to postpone the elections, the dialogue must decide to form a national consensus government that guarantees the unity of the legal and political jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It should be tasked with preparing for legislative and presidential elections, with their date set by presidential decree rather than leaving the date open," al-Masri added.

Sources from the Popular Front told TNA that "the Popular Front was officially informed that the initiative it submitted was presented at two meetings, the PLO Executive Committee last Friday and the Fatah Central Committee last Saturday, and it was adopted by both committees."

"According to what Fatah told us, the national dialogue will be based on the essence of what was included in the initiative, which is arrangements for the transitional phase. These arrangements are not an alternative to elections," the sources within Popular Front said. 

"The Front is not focusing on the issue of cancelling the elections. It insists that Palestinian elections are an inherent right of the Palestinian people and that the democratic route is the fundamental route for organising Palestinian representative institutions. But it is focusing on transitional-phase arrangements and is keen for the elections to take place in a national and consensual atmosphere.  It stresses that the dialogue is sovereign and will determine the next step according to what is agreed upon," the sources added.

"The main proposal, which is the entry point for unifying all Palestinians within the Palestine Liberation Organisation, is to move towards a transitional National Council in which everyone is represented. This council would approve a consensual national programme and arrangements for collective leadership, which should be represented by a new Executive Committee elected by the new National Council. The new Executive Committee would therefore represent the entire Palestinian people and its leadership in confronting plans to eliminate and dismantle the Palestinian entity," these sources continued. "In other words, the outcome would be a consensual National Council that includes all Palestinian factions without exception, which would practically restore the status of the Palestine Liberation Organisation as a home that brings together all Palestinians, with their different political colours."

On why PA President Abbas wants national dialogue now, writer Hani al-Masri said to TNA, "He has no choice, because Washington and Tel Aviv are against the Palestinian legislative elections and want to implement US President Donald Trump's plan in Gaza and form an elected legislative council that conflicts with this. On the other hand, they do not reject Hamas participating in the legislative elections before it gives up power and disarms."

Difficulty holding Palestinian legislative elections

"There is another issue related to the difficulty of holding Palestinian elections on the ground because of the ongoing Israeli military operations in the West Bank, whether by the occupation army or settlers. Therefore, the issue is not that elections are almost impossible in the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, but also in what remains of the occupied West Bank," al-Masri continued.

"There is another reason that is no less important, which President Mahmoud Abbas understands well: Fatah's defeat in the elections is certain, according to all opinion polls, including polls conducted by Fatah and the security services, and I personally saw some of them," he added. "There are many candidate lists from Fatah that will contest the Palestinian legislative elections, in addition to the insistence of imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti on running for president."

Al-Masri further pointed to "another important reason for President Abbas, which is that the alliance formed by the reformist current led by Mohammed Dahlan, the Democratic National Forum led by Nasser al-Qudwa, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad constitutes a serious threat, not only in terms of the legislative elections, but also because of the role Dahlan plays in the Gaza Strip and the mediation he undertook between Hamas and the US administration, which met with Hamas leaders more than once."

"There were understandings that Hamas would give up power and disarm in exchange for approval for it to participate indirectly in the legislative elections. This applies to the United States, while Israel opposes Hamas participating in any form," he concluded.

Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here.