Palestinian factions call on Abbas to convene urgent leadership meeting

Several Palestinian factions on Sunday called on President Mahmoud Abbas to convene an urgent meeting of faction leaders to launch a national dialogue, hold comprehensive elections and formulate a unified strategy “to confront ongoing challenges.”

The call came in a joint statement issued by Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian National Initiative, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.

The factions said they are calling for “a comprehensive national dialogue that establishes political partnership” and paves the way for full Palestinian elections.

The statement stressed that the temporary unified leadership framework agreed upon in past reconciliation deals, most recently the Beijing reconciliation agreement, “remains the transitional national reference capable of leading this phase and ensuring institutional continuity on the basis of consensus.”

In July 2024, 14 Palestinian factions agreed in Beijing to pursue “comprehensive national unity” under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization and form a temporary national consensus government to manage affairs in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

The factions said “national unity and political partnership are the only option” to confront what they described as “the war of genocide” and plans aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause.

They also warned against attempts to “re-engineer the Palestinian political system” in response to external pressures.

The statement came about two weeks after Abbas issued a decree amending the general elections law, increasing the number of Legislative Council seats from 132 to 200 and lowering the candidacy age from 28 to 23 as part of preparations for upcoming legislative and local elections.

Abbas also issued a decree on Feb. 2 calling on Palestinians at home and abroad to participate in elections for the Palestinian National Council scheduled for Nov. 1, 2026.

The Palestinian political scene has remained divided since 2007, when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip while Abbas’ Fatah retained control of the occupied West Bank.

The divisions persist as Palestinians continue to face the consequences of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed more than 73,000 people and injured over 173,000 since Oct. 8, 2023.