Palestinian elections: EU ready to send observers

The European Union is ready to send election observers to monitor Palestinian legislative elections scheduled for November 28, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Tuesday.

Kallas said Palestinians had the right to choose their representatives in credible, inclusive and transparent elections. She made the statement after speaking with Palestinian vice president Hussein Al-Sheikh.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has set the legislative polls for November 28. If they take place, they would be the first Palestinian parliamentary elections in two decades.

The last legislative elections in the Palestinian territories were held in 2006, when Hamas defeated Abbas's Fatah party. The Palestinian Legislative Council, the parliament of Abbas's Palestinian Authority, has not met since 2007.

Holding elections is among reforms demanded by the international community, including the EU, which financially supports the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.

The polls face major logistical challenges linked to Israeli measures in the Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Under the October 2025 US-brokered ceasefire, a technocratic committee has been formed to govern Gaza, but it has not yet entered the territory.