RAMALLAH, ISRAELI OCCUPIED WEST BANK, 29 January. - (ANA) - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a decree amending the local elections law in a move that would force candidates to recognise Israel, renounce armed struggle and accept the political programme of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, effectively barring Hamas from participating in upcoming municipal polls.

 

The amendment, received on Tuesday by the Palestinian Central Elections Commission, alters Article 16 of the elections law and introduces a new requirement obliging all candidates to sign a written pledge recognising the PLO as the "sole legitimate representative" of the Palestinian people and committing to its political and national programme.

 

That programme includes recognition of Israel, adherence to a negotiated two-state framework and the rejection of armed resistance, positions long rejected by Hamas and several other Palestinian factions.

 

The new condition will apply to local elections scheduled for April.

 

Palestinian analysts say the decree is designed to exclude Hamas from the electoral process, given the movement's refusal to accept the Oslo framework or recognise Israel, which it views as legitimising continued occupation rather than delivering Palestinian sovereignty.

 

Such requirements were not imposed during the 2006 legislative elections, which Hamas won, nor during local elections held in the West Bank in 2022.

 

Palestinian human rights organisations have warned that the amendment represents a serious infringement on political rights.

 

In a joint statement cited by the Al-Modon news site, the groups said imposing ideological and political conditions on candidacy violates international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the State of Palestine is a signatory.

 

They added that the amendment contradicted both the Palestinian Declaration of Independence and the Palestinian Basic Law, which guarantee political pluralism and the right to participate in public life without discrimination.

 

Under the Basic Law, Abbas is empowered to issue decrees with the force of law in the absence of a functioning legislative council, which was dissolved in 2018 after years of paralysis following Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in 2007.

 

Some say the decree fits a broader pattern under Abbas of restricting political competition and sidelining factions that challenge the Palestinian Authority’s rule, particularly groups engaged in armed resistance against Israel.

 

For years, Abbas has overseen close security coordination between PA forces and Israel, a policy he has repeatedly defended publicly, even as Israeli military raids, mass arrests and settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank have intensified.

 

Since late 2024, PA security forces have launched a series of large operations across the northern West Bank targeting armed groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and local militias such as the Jenin Brigades, in moves widely seen as serving Israel's security priorities.

 

In December 2024, PA forces entered the Jenin refugee camp with armoured vehicles and raided homes and hospitals, killing a Jenin Brigades commander and carried out mass arrests, while seizing weapons, explosives and funds.

 

Similar crackdowns have taken place in Nablus, Tubas, Tulkarm and the Balata refugee camp, targeting groups that carry out armed actions against Israel and challenge the PA's authority.

 

Public frustration with the Palestinian Authority has deepened amid the absence of national elections and the repeated postponement of presidential and parliamentary polls, which Abbas last announced in 2021 before cancelling.

 

The last Palestinian presidential took place in 2005, with Abbas winning by over 67%.

 

Polling over recent years has consistently shown overwhelming Palestinian opposition to his continued rule.

 

Despite the controversy over the decision to ban Hamas and other groups, the Palestinian Central Elections Commission said voter registration has closed with more than 1.5 million people in the West Bank eligible to vote. Local elections are due to be held across 420 authorities, including 136 municipal councils.

 

Commission spokesperson Fareed Taamallah said registration figures reflect growing public interest, with early preparations for candidacy already underway in a number of towns and villages.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/29 January 2026 - - -