Palestinian authorities said Sunday that local elections in a single Gaza community and the occupied West Bank were a success and called them a step toward a long-delayed presidential election in the territories and eventual statehood.
The Palestinian Authority, which administers semiautonomous areas of the West Bank, has described Saturday’s local election in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah as a largely symbolic pilot, while the authority seeks to politically link the territories.
“Everyone is aware of the political, security and economic conditions, the fragmentation of Palestinian territory, the war on Gaza, and the regional conflict in Iran,” Rami Hamdallah, chair of the Ramallah-based Central Election Commission and a former prime minister, told journalists.
“Simply holding the elections in Deir al-Balah is a significant achievement, and we hope to hold elections in other bodies across the Gaza Strip in the near future,” he said.
