Election in 2026 impossible if Gaza war persists: Palestinian Authority

A family sets up a tent near a UN school used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

OTTAWA — The Palestinian Authority says its commitment to hold elections in 2026 — which Ottawa has set as a condition for recognizing Palestinian statehood — won’t be fulfilled if the war in Gaza continues into next year.

Omar Awadallah, the Palestinian deputy minister of foreign affairs, also told The Canadian Press an election will only happen if Palestinians in all three enclaves can vote.

“Once the war stops in Gaza and the genocide stops in Gaza, then within one year, we will be able to hold elections in the occupied Palestinian territories,” he said.

The Palestinian Authority insists it is committed to reforms that will allow it to build a successful country that can coexist peacefully with Israel — though Israel’s ambassador to Canada argues the current Palestinian leadership can’t be trusted.

In July, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada’s intention to formally recognize a Palestinian state. He also said recognition would be “predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to much-needed reforms.”

A government press release said those reforms include holding “general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part,” reforms to governance and demilitarization.

The government later clarified that while recognition would come in September, normalization of ties between Canada and the Palestinian state — which would include upgrading the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic mission in Ottawa to a full embassy — would come later, after Canada’s conditions are met.

In September, just days before Canada proceeded with recognition, senior government officials briefed media on the condition they not be named.

They said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his foreign minister committed to reform and outlined progress in calls with Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand.

The officials said Canada’s conditions for normalization also include revising the school curriculum so that Palestinian students aren’t taught antisemitic messages, and ending the Palestinian Authority’s payments to families of those imprisoned for killing Israelis.

The officials said Abbas mentioned those issues in a letter sent to Carney, though neither Ottawa nor the Palestinian Authority has released the letter.

“A copy will not be shared out of respect for international diplomatic relations,” Privy Council spokesman Pierre Cuguen wrote.

The Palestinian delegation said it would not share the letter “as it has not been published publicly,” but said it’s similar in content to the letter from Abbas released by the French government.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Thursday, to explain the commitments, Awadallah framed the measures as reforms taken by Palestine to avoid being “a failed state,” instead of conditions imposed by outside countries.

“We were happy that Canada recognized the State of Palestine, and we do value this. But we did not commit to these issues just for recognition,” he said.

“We are fulfilling all of what we think it is proper for the Palestinian people and for Palestinian society.”

Awadallah said an election — which would be the first since 2006 — can’t happen in the Palestinian territories until a full 12 months after the conflict in Gaza ends.

“We don’t have even electricity in Gaza, water, food, anything. So we need at least one year to prepare for these elections,” he said.

He also said Israel must allow Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank to cast ballots, without detaining candidates. A vote will only happen once it’s possible in all three enclaves, he said.

Israel has occupied all three areas since the 1967 Six-Day War. Canada and most other nations consider that occupation to be illegal.

The Palestinian Authority controls large parts of the West Bank through the Fatah party. Hamas, which Canada has listed as a terrorist group, has had full control of Gaza since it pushed out the PA in a 2006 war.

Awadallah said Hamas will not be part of a future Palestinian government — unless it accepts the Oslo Accords which commit to the recognition of Israel and peaceful coexistence.

“If Hamas will come and say that I do respect international law and I do respect the commitments of the (Palestine Liberation Organization …) they will be party to those elections,” he said.

He said the pledge to demilitarize the State of Palestine would require some security guarantee and possibly foreign forces to maintain the peace.

“(If) we have maybe a regional, structural security for all, then we’d think there’s no need for a military. And that’s conditional,” he said. “But if Israel will continue on its genocide, I don’t think that peace can come by killing others.”

He said the Palestinian Authority’s contentious policy of issuing financial transfers to the families of those who have killed Israelis is being scrapped, to be replaced with a new welfare program that assesses families’ financial needs. The change is now being audited by a multinational firm, he said.

As for educational reform, Awadallah said this is a broader change aimed at improving literacy and isn’t about weeding out purported extremism against Jewish people.

Groups supportive of Israel argue textbooks issued to Palestinian schools over the past two years still lack context in a way that vilifies Israel and Jews. Awadallah said Israeli policies are driving extremism.

“There is no incitement in our textbooks. The biggest incitement in Palestine is the presence of illegal occupation,” he said, adding that it’s not a religious conflict.

“Jews have nothing to do with the criminality that Israel is doing against our people.”

Awadallah said broader governance reforms are underway through a plan the Palestinian Authority crafted with the European Union. Canada recently pledged $47 million to support these judicial, economic and governance reforms.

But Israeli Ambassador Iddo Moed, citing the fact that Abbas has not released his letter to Carney, said there are “all the reasons to doubt” the Palestinian Authority will take steps toward peace.

“We don’t believe that the Palestinian Authority can deliver on the reforms that they promised. We’d be curious to know if they’ve done that in writing,” he said.

“The Palestinian Authority has neglected to live up to their commitments for the last 30 years when it comes to deradicalization, changing their schoolbooks, or recognizing Israel to be the homeland of the Jewish people.

“They already got their ask, which is recognition, so they’ll take their time in delivery.”

Moed said that while most Palestinians want to live in peace alongside Israel, their current leaders are unwilling to enter into good-faith negotiations and “a total reset” is needed in Palestinian governance.

“They have to come to a settlement with the state of the Jewish people, Israel. And we don’t see any prospect for that,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press