Palestinian President Abbas’ Fatah dominates West Bank & Gaza local elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party dominated municipal elections in the Israel‑occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, authorities said on Sunday.

Fatah won six of the 15 seats in Deir al‑Balah, and it swept the elections in the West Bank, winning uncontested in many seats, according to Reuters.

Municipal elections were held in Gaza’s Deir al‑Balah and in the West Bank on Saturday — the first vote held in Gaza since Hamas seized the strip in 2006. The elections were conducted to form municipal councils responsible for overseeing water, roads, and electricity.

Deir al‑Balah is one of the few pockets in Gaza that were spared an Israeli ground offensive. As a result, the area has been relatively less damaged compared with other parts of the strip — such as Rafah where Israel has demolished nearly the entire city.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), the internationally recognised Palestinian administration that partially governs the West Bank, has described the elections as a step towards a long‑delayed presidential election and eventual statehood. It sees the vote as a pilot project that may one day reconnect the two Palestinian territories, which have been politically separated since 2006 when Hamas ousted Fatah in Gaza and took control of the strip.

More from World

“Everyone is aware of the political, security and economic conditions, the fragmentation of Palestinian territory, the war on Gaza, and the regional conflict in Iran. Simply holding the elections in Deir al‑Balah is a significant achievement, and we hope to hold elections in other bodies across the Gaza Strip in the near future,” said Rami Hamdallah, Chair of the Palestinian Central Election Commission, according to the Associated Press.

Despite large‑scale displacement in Gaza, Palestinian authorities reported a 23 per cent turnout in Deir al‑Balah. In the West Bank, turnout was 56 per cent.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa called these elections “another step on the path to full independence”. Realistically, however, statehood appears farther away than ever as Israel’s far‑right government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is firmly opposed to it. Moreover, it has occupied large parts of Gaza and systematically expanded its occupation of the West Bank over the years, shrinking the space available for any potential Palestinian state.

A series of recent decisions by Netanyahu’s government has been described as a de facto annexation of the West Bank.