Palestinians are supposed to vote in legislative elections on November 28. After years without national elections, the importance of that date is difficult to overstate. But there is already growing concern that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas might cancel the elections as he did in May 2021.
The reasons being discussed are familiar: uncertainty over voting in East Jerusalem, the practical difficulties of holding elections in Gaza, internal Palestinian political calculations, and the fear among established factions that the voters may produce a result they do not like.
None of these concerns should become an excuse to deny Palestinians the right to choose their leadership. Palestinian politics has suffered for years from a deep crisis of legitimacy.
The Palestinian Authority has governed without a renewed democratic mandate. The political system remains divided between the West Bank and Gaza. Fatah and Hamas continue to dominate institutions that many Palestinians increasingly regard as ineffective, unaccountable, or disconnected from their lives.
That is precisely why elections are necessary.
The election is not important because it will automatically produce good government, moderation, or peace. Elections can produce bad outcomes as well as good ones (as we have seen in Israel). They can strengthen extremists as easily as reformers.
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