Israel soon heads to the polls, while Palestinian democracy remains on hold. Hamas looms over both

On October 27, Israel is scheduled to hold its first national election since Hamas’ attack of October 7 2023.

It will be the first opportunity for Israeli citizens to vote for or against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since those attacks and the devastating assault on Gaza that followed.

After three years of war, Hamas is still armed.

It remains the most proximate security threat to the people of Israel.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed Palestinian legislative elections , originally set to take place on November 28, by almost a year.

This follows a two-decade pattern of delays and cancellations.

The enduring identity and status of Hamas is also at the heart of the democratic predicament of Palestinian politics.

Hamas is the only political group to have won democratic Palestinian elections this century.

Dealing credibly and effectively with Hamas – both as an armed organisation and a political force – will remain a central challenge for both Israeli and Palestinian leaders alike.

Two decades of deferred democracy This year’s Palestinian elections would have been the first to take place in 20 years.

In 2006, Hamas won internationally observed elections by a landslide .

The group briefly formed government under Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (who would later be assassinated by Israel in 2024).

But Hamas refused to disarm or recognise the legitimacy of the state of Israel.

Nor would the group agree to the terms of the US Roadmap to Peace .