The continued failures of the Palestinian Authority
Western leaders earlier this week expressed shock when Mahmoud Abbas, the almost 91-year-old dictatorial head of the Palestinian Authority, decided to cancel the first legislative elections in 20 years. Abbas bluntly informed his citizens on…
Assessment
Mahmoud Abbas has again postponed Palestinian legislative elections, now until 2027, after canceling them entirely just weeks before the scheduled vote. His own presidential mandate expired in 2009, yet he claims his reelection will coincide with the new date. This is not a scheduling glitch. It is a pattern of indefinite self-extension that leaves Palestinians without any democratic process, while Western governments express shock but take no apparent action. The gap between stated concern and actual leverage over Abbas is the real story.