Cairo.. Synchronizing Legislative Elections with the Presidency and Unifying Fatah and Integrating Hamas

Bethlehem - Special Afaq News - Palestinian factions, led by Fatah and Hamas, are preparing to hold a comprehensive national dialogue in Cairo over the next three weeks to discuss a national political program that includes conducting simultaneous legislative and presidential elections, as well as agreeing on the formation of the National Council, including its members from both inside and outside the territories.

The anticipated dialogue comes amid European pressures and American and Israeli rejection of conducting simultaneous legislative elections that include the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

According to informed sources who spoke to "Afaq News", the dialogue will affirm the principle of holding elections, with the possibility of postponing them for several months to a date that will be agreed upon nationally.

Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, along with various Palestinian factions, are scheduled to participate in the dialogue, which will also discuss the inclusion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the National Council, the Central Council, and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The sources revealed that the Egyptian side requested that Fatah address its internal disputes with the faction of leader Mohammad Dahlan and is pushing for the unification of the movement before the launch of the comprehensive national dialogue.

Member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, Munther Hayek, announced that a delegation from the movement, headed by Hussein Sheikh, has traveled to Cairo to meet with the Egyptian leadership and several Palestinian factions, as part of efforts to arrange and successfully conduct elections, which will enhance national consensus and pave the way for the upcoming phase's requirements.

Regarding the elections in the Gaza Strip, factions are leaning towards relying on the civil registry to prepare voter lists, due to the inability to create a traditional electoral register. Sources told "Afaq News" that the names of about 73,000 martyrs in the Gaza Strip are known and recorded in official records, making the civil registry a proposed basis for managing the electoral process.

Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Ramzi Rabah, revealed to Al-Hurriya website in Damascus about intensive communications with Egypt and various Palestinian factions, aimed at holding a comprehensive national dialogue with the participation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to agree on mechanisms for managing the elections and ensuring the participation of all forces and respect for their results.

On July 9, President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree setting November 28, 2026, as the date for holding legislative elections in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, marking the first of its kind since 2006.

The Central Elections Commission began registering voters and updating their data on August 15 of this year.