Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced on July 9 that parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 28, to be held in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and Gaza. These elections would mark the first such vote in two decades, with the last occurring in 2006, when Hamas secured a decisive victory. Following that election, a violent power struggle erupted between Hamas and Fatah, culminating in Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Since then, concerns over Hamas's continued popularity have deterred Abbas from holding new elections, amid fears of losing political control.
The announcement coincides with ongoing efforts to implement a US-backed Gaza peace plan overseen by the Board of Peace, an international body aiming to disempower Hamas and facilitate reconstruction. Analysts suggest that this plan may have influenced Abbas’s decision to revive parliamentary elections in an effort to bolster the Palestinian Authority’s democratic credibility.
A prominent figure emerging in this evolving political landscape is Mohammad Dahlan, a former Fatah official from the Gaza Strip. Born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in 1961, Dahlan rose to prominence as head of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service in Gaza during the 1990s, earning significant influence in the territory. However, his relationship with Abbas deteriorated over concerns that Dahlan might be positioned by the United States as a successor to the Palestinian leadership. Dahlan was expelled from Fatah in 2011 amid unproven allegations of corruption and involvement in a plot against Yasser Arafat, charges he denies.
Since then, Dahlan has lived in exile in the United Arab Emirates, where he has advised UAE leadership and cultivated ties with regional powers including Egypt, as well as maintaining contacts with Israeli security officials. During his exile, he founded the Democratic Reformist Current (DRC), a political movement within Gaza. This group has worked toward forming alliances with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, culminating in the announcement of an electoral coalition on October 1. There are reports that other factions such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine might also join.
Dahlan is positioning himself as a mediator and political strategist rather than a direct contender for governing Gaza. His approach advocates for a “national partnership” framework that would integrate elections with a new constitution or social contract to promote popular legitimacy and peaceful power transfer. This formula includes a role for Hamas in future Palestinian governance and seeks to unify fragmented Palestinian factions, while aligning with the interests of regional and international actors, including the UAE, Egypt, and the United States.
Although Dahlan’s coalition partners have not formally endorsed his vision, his increasing engagement with various Palestinian factions, regional stakeholders, and even Israeli security representatives suggests a significant reemergence in Palestinian politics. His efforts come at a time when the international Board of Peace oversees Gaza’s transitional administrative arrangements through the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza—an apolitical body tasked with managing civil affairs pending broader reforms.
The planned elections could thus serve as a turning point in ending the transitional arrangements by reestablishing unified Palestinian governance over Gaza and the West Bank. While no official statement has linked the November vote explicitly to the Board of Peace’s handover process, Dahlan’s recent involvement in Gaza’s reconstruction and political dialogues appears aligned with this potential outcome.
If successful, the elections might produce a reformed government with greater legitimacy than one imposed externally. Dahlan’s ability to forge cooperation among Hamas, Fatah dissidents, and other groups could prove crucial in bridging longstanding divides and facilitating Gaza’s political reintegration. This development would transform the Board of Peace’s role from a temporary international administration into a platform for building a renewed Palestinian political system, offering a pathway toward stability and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.