Will PLO elections serve the people or the status quo?

Arab News

23-07-2025

https://arab.news/22f5j
In a surprising political development, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday announced that elections for the Palestinian National Council — the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization — will be held before the end of 2025. This is the first time such a step has been taken since the council's inception in Jerusalem in 1964. The announcement, made through the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, stipulates that 350 representatives will be elected: two-thirds from within the Occupied Territories and one-third from the diaspora.
On the surface, this declaration may appear like a long-overdue democratic revival. But its timing raises critical questions. Why now? Why in the midst of the most brutal and prolonged war on Gaza since 1948 — a war that has claimed the lives of more than 38,000 Palestinians and displaced more than 2 million? What purpose do elections serve when a large portion of the Palestinian people is either starving, under bombardment or buried under the rubble of their homes?
One cannot separate Abbas' announcement from the broader political landscape. The PLO has long suffered from a legitimacy crisis. For years, the Palestinian Authority has governed parts of the West Bank under Israeli occupation, while Hamas has controlled Gaza since the 2006 legislative elections — ironically, the last time a national vote took place. That rift has rendered Palestinian politics fractured and paralyzed, with no clear roadmap for unity, nor for meaningful resistance.
By calling for PNC elections now, Abbas may be aiming to reassert the relevance of the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people — especially at a time when many in Gaza, and even some in the diaspora, feel alienated from traditional political institutions. The decision also seems designed to counter growing criticism from both inside and outside Palestine that the PA has become increasingly disconnected from the realities on the ground. With Gaza engulfed in suffering and resistance rising to the forefront of regional and global discourse, the PLO leadership likely feels pressured to project a sense of political dynamism — even if symbolic.
Yet symbolism, in this context, may not be enough. What Palestinians need now is not just elections but transformation. They need leadership that reflects the reality of occupation, resistance and survival under siege. They require an inclusive democratic structure that transcends bureaucratic reshuffling and provides a unified vision for liberation. They need leaders who understand that credibility is not restored at a ballot box alone — but through action, sacrifice and standing firmly with their people, especially in Gaza.
The criteria for PNC membership, as outlined by Abbas — namely, commitment to the PLO's political program and international legitimacy — may also be a double-edged sword. While they may ensure some ideological cohesion, these stipulations risk excluding key factions like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both of which, regardless of political position, represent significant segments of Palestinian society and have borne the brunt of the current Israeli assault. Any elections that reinforce old divisions rather than healing them may only perpetuate the fragmentation that has plagued Palestinian politics for decades.
Furthermore, the war in Gaza continues to rage with horrifying intensity. According to UN estimates, more than 90 percent of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of starvation. In this context, how realistic — or ethical — is it to talk about elections? What guarantee is there that Gazans will be allowed to participate freely and fairly in a vote, when their cities lie in ruins and their internet and electricity are regularly cut off?
There is also the question of diaspora representation. The announcement that one-third of PNC seats will go to Palestinians abroad is significant, as it nods to the historical breadth of the Palestinian cause. However, ensuring meaningful participation from refugee communities in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Europe and the Americas will require extraordinary logistical, legal and diplomatic coordination — something the PA has consistently struggled to deliver in the past.
The PLO leadership likely feels pressured to project a sense of political dynamism — even if symbolic.
Hani Hazaimeh
Let's be clear: Palestinian elections are long overdue. Democratic renewal is essential — not just for optics, but for survival. The Palestinian people are not just victims of military aggression; they are active agents of their own future. They deserve a voice and they deserve leadership that does not treat elections as a mere rubber stamp, but as a tool for genuine change.
However, if these elections are held merely to polish the fading image of the PLO without addressing the root causes of Palestinian disunity and institutional paralysis, they may backfire. They may reinforce the perception that the leadership in Ramallah remains detached from the daily struggles of Palestinians in Gaza, in refugee camps and under occupation in the West Bank.
At this critical hour, Palestinians need more than announcements. They need justice. They need an end to the siege on Gaza, accountability for war crimes and a bold, united political front capable of speaking for all Palestinians, in all places. If the planned elections for the PNC can be a step toward that future — one that includes every voice, prioritizes resistance and breaks with the stagnation of the past — then perhaps they will be worth the effort.
But if not, then this may be yet another performance in a political theater long disconnected from the suffering of its own audience.