Elections give Gazans first chance to vote in years
Palestinians have voted in local elections involving Gaza for the first time in two decades, a measure of the political mood at a time when the Israeli government is trying to destroy the future of a Palestinian state.
The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) hopes that the symbolic inclusion of the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah will strengthen its claim to authority over the region, from which it was ousted by Hamas in 2007.
Gazans struggling to meet their basic needs in the devastated area welcomed the opportunity to vote on Saturday.
“As a Palestinian and a son of the Gaza Strip, I am proud of the return of the democratic process after this war,” said 52-year-old voter Mamdouh al-Bhaisi at the Deir al-Balah polling station.
Since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel came into effect in October, intermittent U.S.-led talks have made little progress toward a solution that would envisage international control of Gaza.
European and Arab governments broadly support the eventual return of Palestinian Authority rule in Gaza and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state consisting of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-government under Israeli occupation.
Western diplomats say the local elections could be a step towards the first national elections in nearly two decades and advance reforms to increase transparency and accountability that the Palestinian Authority says are on the way.
Münif Treiş, one of the candidates in the West Bank, said, “We hope that the process held today will be crowned with legislative and presidential elections.” he said.
These elections are the first Palestinian elections held after the Gaza war, which began more than two years ago with a cross-border Hamas offensive against communities in southern Israel.
Municipal elections in the West Bank were last held four years ago.
In Deir Al-Balah, which has been less damaged by Israeli attacks than other cities of Gaza since 2023, banners with candidate lists are hung on buildings.
While some of the voting will be held in tents, the process will end two hours early due to a power outage.
The Palestinian election committee cited widespread destruction among the reasons for the failure to vote in the rest of Gaza, more than half of which is under Israeli control and the rest under Hamas rule.
Some Palestinian groups are boycotting the elections to protest the Palestinian Authority’s demand that candidates support agreements that include recognition of the state of Israel.
Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, has not officially nominated any candidate.
Most candidates, including those in the West Bank, are running independently or affiliated with Fatah, the main political movement behind the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas said it would respect the results.
More than a million Palestinians, including 70,000 in Gaza, are eligible to vote, and results are expected late Saturday or Sunday, the Palestinian Central Elections Committee said.
