Palestinian elections

Palestinians hold up the green Hamas flag during a protest by supporters of both the Fatah and Hamas movements, as they rally in support of the Palestinian people following Friday noon prayers in Hebron, occupied West Bank, Nov. 3, 2023.

Majority of Palestinians lose trust in Hamas and Fatah, new poll finds

A recent poll by a Palestinian survey center found that trust in Palestinian factions has declined, amid stalled efforts to implement the Gaza peace plan and escalating settler violence in the West Bank.

Displaced Palestinian people look at paintings at an open-air art exhibition at the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on April 28, 2026. The majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced, often multiple times, by the war that began with Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. With displaced families living in tented camps, with serious concerns raised about their living conditions. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP via Getty Images) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDI

Analysis

Why Abbas' win in Gaza remains 'symbolic,' not rejection of Hamas

Affiliates of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas performed relatively well in the municipal elections, though the vote was marred by complications relating to the war and the exclusion of Hamas.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

An elections employee tapes a poster with instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Feature

Gazans show cautious hope ahead of first local elections in 20 years

The city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza is set to hold municipal elections for the first time in nearly two decades.

Rasha Abou Jalal

By Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Women read instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Analysis

On eve of Palestinian local elections, competition in short supply

With many races unopposed and rivals excluded, the vote underscores a calibrated effort to contain dissent and prioritize stability.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Latest News

Iran war deepens Gaza crisis as prices soar, aid falters

Children and families gather to receive free meals shortly before Iftar during the holy month of Ramadan at a displacement camp in central Gaza City, on Feb. 27, 2026.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Italy’s Meloni hosts Abbas amid EU Palestinian statehood push: What we know

FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

Wife of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti appeals to Trump for his release

Analysis

Trump squeezes Palestinian leadership as West Bank teeters

An Israeli flag flies along a highway near the settlement of Carmel on Aug. 4, 2025, in the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, during his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East, in the Muqata'a, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on January 10, 2024.

Fatah prepares for Palestinian leadership succession amid focus on 'day after' in Gaza

As President Mahmoud Abbas' approval sags, Fatah leaders have been searching for a formula to break the political impasse within the movement and prepare for potential postwar governance of the Gaza Strip.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Men walk past a section of Israel's separation barrier painted with a portrait of Palestinian Marwan Barghouti, held in an Israel jail, on November 6, 2023 in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

Could Marwan Barghouti lead post-war Palestinian government?

Marwan Barghouti is currently in prison for his role directing attacks against Israelis during the second intifada, but he's also the most popular Palestinian leader by a long shot, fueling news that he could be part of a future prisoner exchange.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends an observation of the 75th anniversary of the Nakba in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations on May 15, 2023 in New York City.

Is time running out for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas?

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has stayed relatively quiet amid the war in Gaza, but this approach is only further eroding his popularity with the Palestinian population.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas during their meeting in Jordan's capital Amman on October 13, 2023. Blinken began on October 12 a tour of Arab capitals as he seeks to build pressure on Hamas while Israel readies a likely massive offensive on the Gaza Strip following the militants' attacks. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

US wants a 'revitalized' Palestinian Authority, but can Abbas deliver?

The recent call by US President Joe Biden for Gaza and the West Bank to be reunited under "a revitalized Palestinian Authority" has left many questioning what this might look like.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Palestinian president fires West Bank governors as PA's unpopularity grows

The Palestinian Authority is unpopular in the West Bank and elections have not been held in nearly two decades, while Islamist rival Hamas’ support is rising in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Smoke rises during clashes in Ain al-Hilweh camp, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern coastal city of Sidon, Feb. 28, 2017.

What’s behind Palestinian violence in Lebanon’s Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp?

Lebanon’s largest refugee camp, Ain al-Hilweh, is no stranger to violence between rival Palestinian factions.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas (R) is helped with the headphones at the start of a joint press conference with Germany's Chancellor at the Chancellery in Berlin on August 16, 2022. (Photo by JENS SCHLUETER / AFP) (Photo by JENS SCHLUETER/AFP via Getty Images)

Between Palestinian succession and Hamas, Fatah crisis deepens in West Bank

Factions of the embattled party are maneuvering for greater influence even while longtime president Mahmoud Abbas remains in power.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh

European ministers meet Palestinian PM, commit to support Palestinian elections

Meeting in Brussels with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, European senior officials pledged to support holding Palestinian national elections soon and advancing Palestinian reform plans.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Palestinian students supporting the Islamic Hamas movement.

Landslide victory for Hamas student bloc in West Bank reflects shift in popular support

Hamas won a large majority in the student elections at Birzeit University in the West Bank, pointing to the movement’s growing popularity at the expense of the divided Fatah movement.

An elderly Palestinian man casts his ballot.

Hamas boycotts West Bank elections, members run in independent lists

Hamas members joined independent lists and alliances in the second round of the West Bank municipal elections, despite the movement’s official boycott of the vote.

Staff of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission display electoral lists ahead of the upcoming general elections, at the commissions local offices in Ramallah, West Bank, April 6, 2021.

West Bank local elections bring Hamas, PFLP closer

Local elections in the West Bank seem to have boosted ties between Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which are running as allies.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Many female candidates' faces hidden as West Bank votes

During campaigning for the local council elections in the West Bank, the photos of many female candidates were withheld.