Two sources from Hamas and two from other Palestinian factions revealed Arab and international efforts to push for a comprehensive Palestinian consensus on holding the legislative elections that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree to hold on the 28th of next November.

According to the sources, there have been communications and mutual messages between leaders of Fatah and Hamas before President Abbas issued his recent decision days ago.

This would be the first legislative elections held in the Palestinian territories since 2006, when Hamas won over Fatah, before relations deteriorated and the former took military control of the Gaza Strip, followed by years of sharp division that affected the lives of Palestinians and continues to this day.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas casts his vote in local elections in Ramallah on April 25, 2026 (dpa)

Consensus with Arab support

According to the four sources, before the presidential decree was issued, messages were exchanged between leaders of the two movements, with follow-up from some Arab countries, especially Egypt, as part of an attempt to push for comprehensive elections in the coming period, as part of reforms and strengthening the democratic approach again in the Palestinian territories.

It was noted that Hamas has not issued any negative or positive stance regarding the presidential decision, whereas in previous periods it used to issue statements quickly rejecting what it consistently described as the Palestinian Authority and its President Mahmoud Abbas monopolizing important national decisions.

Regarding whether the lack of comment on the presidential decision came at the request of some Arab and international parties, a Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat that a statement will be issued later on this matter, without providing further details.

None of the Palestinian factions, whether those under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization, such as the Popular Front known for its recent support of Hamas positions, or even those outside the organization such as Islamic Jihad, have issued any positions supporting or rejecting Abbas's decision, indicating the possibility of Egyptian, Arab, and international efforts succeeding in seeking a Palestinian consensus to move forward with more positive steps in this regard.

Integrated political path

According to a source from the Palestinian factions, several Arab, Islamic, and European countries played a role in pushing for the democratic path and consensus on it among Palestinians, given that these countries are concerned with reforming the Palestinian Authority so that it can play a major role in the affairs of the Gaza Strip in the near future, thereby thwarting Israeli attempts to maintain control over the Strip and continue its aggression on the West Bank, especially as these countries will support an integrated political path based on supporting a Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967.

Asharq Al-Awsat had earlier exclusively reported on a meeting that brought together Hamas leadership with French officials weeks ago. When several Hamas sources were asked whether this was related to arranging the Palestinian house, they declined to comment.

A Palestinian woman waves a Fatah flag during her participation in the eighth conference of the movement at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City on May 14, 2026 (Reuters)

France plays an important role alongside Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Islamic countries in the region to support the two-state solution and affirm the Palestinians' right to establish their state under United Nations resolutions.

This may be linked to the process of confining the weapons of Palestinian factions in Gaza, which Hamas ties to a clear political path leading to the determination of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. This was supported by the roadmap developed by the High Representative for Gaza at the Council for Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, indicating its adoption by the Council and the US administration, which has also begun to move recently to support some steps of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, according to some foreign and Israeli media reports.

Remote consensus

While sources from Hamas and the factions did not rule out a national meeting in Cairo soon at Egypt's invitation if consensus is reached, some factions have doubts about the possibility of success.

It appears that Egypt and other countries are seeking a Palestinian consensus, even if direct meetings between factions are not held, to ensure legislative elections, then for the National Council, and later presidential elections.

According to a factional source, there are several proposals to resolve the current political crisis in Palestine, including the possibility that the legislative elections include a unified Palestinian list from all forces and factions, noting that there are differences on this both between factions and within them, and there are other proposals being discussed, but this will require more meetings, communications, and efforts.

Palestinians near a polling station in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza during local elections on April 25, 2026 (AP)

The presidential decree for holding legislative elections called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip to participate.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned from civil society sources that there is consensus between the Palestinian Authority and Western parties that were pushing for elections to also take place in the Gaza Strip, indicating that the preliminary consensus reached is to hold them only in camps in the central Strip due to their readiness and ability to host such elections, especially as their infrastructure was not heavily damaged by the war unlike other areas of the Strip.

According to a factional source, it has not yet been decided whether the elections will be held only in the central Strip or in all areas under certain arrangements that will be agreed upon.

The local elections held last April were organized only in the city of Deir al-Balah within the Gaza Strip, while absent from other areas.

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission said on Saturday that it is ready to hold elections in the Gaza Strip according to the civil registry and not the electoral register due to the displacement and forced migration of the population.

Cairo negotiations

This comes at a time when negotiations between Hamas and mediators are taking place in Cairo on the amended clauses of the roadmap regarding the transition to the second phase of US President Donald Trump's plan.

A senior Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meetings are positive but ongoing and nothing has been fully decided yet, hoping that this will happen in the coming hours and days, stressing that the problem is not in the position of the movement and factions, but in the position of Israel and Mladenov, who each time shows a biased stance towards the occupation government.

According to the same source and another source from the Palestinian factions, a large agreement has been reached on the content of 13 out of 15 clauses of the roadmap, and gaps have been largely bridged within the previously agreed content, while the fifth clause on employees and their rights, and the eighth on confining weapons, remain points of contention, and negotiations will be deepened on them to allow bridging gaps and reaching clear approaches on all clauses to ensure reaching an agreement.

The two sources confirmed that nothing has been fully resolved yet, and meetings will continue until all gaps are bridged.