Palestinian VP hits back at Israeli FM over postponed elections
08:27, 11/10/2026, SundayU: Update: 09:10, 11/10/2026, Sunday
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Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh on Saturday accused Israel of forcing the postponement of legislative elections through its ongoing crimes and violence, hitting back at Foreign Minister Gideon Saar's criticism of President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to delay the polls until September 2027.
Palestinian official rejects Israeli criticism
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh on Saturday hit back at Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar over accusations leveled against President Mahmoud Abbas regarding the postponement of national elections, stating that Israeli actions had forced the delay. Al-Sheikh accused Saar of posing as a defender of Palestinian democracy while attacking the decision to reschedule the polls for September 2027.
'Slaughtering our people'
Writing on the social media platform X, Al-Sheikh said Israel's foreign minister now appeared concerned about democracy in Palestine only after the elections were postponed as a result of Israeli crimes and violence. "Israel's foreign minister now appears concerned about the future of democracy in Palestine after the legislative elections were postponed as a result of his crimes, measures, terror, and violence," he wrote, rejecting Saar's claims that Palestinian assertions were merely attempts to evade accountability. "The one responsible for slaughtering our people every day now lectures us like a preacher," he added.
Israeli minister accuses Abbas of corruption
Saar had earlier accused Abbas of corruption and misleading the international community about the reasons for the postponement. He rejected Palestinian assertions that Israeli measures had created obstacles to holding the elections, calling them an attempt to evade "responsibility and accountability," according to Anadolu Agency.
New election date set for 2027
Abbas issued a presidential decree on Saturday setting Sept. 11, 2027, as the date for both presidential and legislative elections, replacing an earlier schedule that had set the vote for this November. Nearly 2.97 million Palestinians are eligible to vote, including 1.59 million in the occupied West Bank, 1.24 million in the Gaza Strip, and 140,000 residents of occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinians last held legislative elections in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of seats.