Palestinian activist says election delay is about clinging to power, not Israeli ‘obstacles’

A Palestinian political activist says the Palestinian Authority postponed next month’s elections in a bid to cling to power, not because of Israeli “obstacles” as the authority’s officials claim.

“The main reason to postpone the election was that the current leadership would like to keep its power,” Samer Sinijlawi told National Post. “I’m confident that Israel did not care about these elections. They were busy in their own elections.”

He believes the postponement was “engineered” by the vice president, Hussein Al-Sheikh, who would inherit the PA presidency should the position become vacant.

“The situation in Gaza might not be perfect, and the situation in the West Bank is not perfect,” Sinijlawi said. “These are conditions that are almost permanent for Palestinians. So, if we keep using them (as a reason to postpone), we will never have elections.”

Sinijlawi is a Palestinian political activist who campaigns for Palestinian-Israeli coexistence. He is the head of the political movement New Path (Masar Jadid), which presents itself as a democratic, moderate alternative to the current Palestinian leadership. Sinijlawi publicly condemned Hamas following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people.

On Saturday, he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney urging him to help preserve Palestinian elections scheduled for Nov. 28, after rumours circulated that they would be postponed. That same day, President Mahmoud Abbas announced the postponement of legislative elections as well as the presidential elections until September 2027, citing “obstacles ⁠posed by Israeli measures” as the reason for the postponement of “free, fair and inclusive elections.”

In a post on X, Israeli ​Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called Abbas’ decree “yet ​another ridiculous lie designed to evade responsibility and accountability.”

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian corrupt dictator, who has not held elections in over twenty years, has once again deceived the international community.

His attempt to drag Israel into this, falsely claiming that Israel imposed obstacles to holding elections, is yet another…

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) October 10, 2026

The Nov. 28 elections would have been the first Palestinian elections since Hamas won a majority over Abbas’ party, Fatah, in 2006 across Gaza and the West Bank.

Sinijlawi said 90 per cent of eligible Palestinian voters had registered for the elections, roughly 62 per cent of whom are under the age of 39 and will have never had the opportunity to vote. He points out that a 39-year-old in Canada will have been able to vote in a general election at least six times.

“All the young talents, the smart, the wise young Palestinians, women and men who are not able to participate in the political system, are not able to be part of the decision-making, and are not affecting the leadership that is deciding all the details of their lives. These elections are going to change this,” he said.

“It is very disappointing news for millions of Palestinians who had prepared themselves for that day. We trusted the day, and we started working. We didn’t have elections for 21 years, and then we had a date. So Palestinians started mobilizing.”

Sinijlawi says the Canadian government has “an obligation” to intervene.

Carney announced his government’s commitment to recognize a Palestinian state in July 2025, which was partly based on the PA’s promise to hold general elections in 2026.

“There was a commitment that was given in writing to the international community, including to Canada,” Sinijlawi said. “If somebody does not respect this commitment, I think there should be consequences. And Canada needs to decide how to exert the right pressure in the right direction and get this done.”

Masar Jadid remains in the race. We oppose the delay and will use legal and administrative avenues to seek elections by spring 2027. We remain open to national dialogue and active among our people. We urge international partners to support Palestinians’ right to vote. pic.twitter.com/Zjq7MNA9z0

— Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي (@SSinijlawi) October 12, 2026

After the PA announced the postponement of the elections, Global Affairs Canada released a joint statement with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, France and the U.K. on Tuesday, saying they “deeply regret” the decision.

“Credible elections are an important element of the commitment that President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority made to reform, including democratic renewal and accountable governance, and are in line with the July 2025 New York Declaration,” it read. “Strengthening Palestinian governance is essential to continue building the institutional foundations of a viable two-state solution, which is the only path to lasting peace and security for both Israel and Palestine.”

It added that the nations will “continue to support efforts to deliver on these elections.”

Sinijlawi thinks the statement is a good first step, but more diplomatic work needs to be done. “There should be some kind of serious pressure on who calls the shots in Ramallah (the administrative capital in the central West Bank),” he said, adding that Canadian financial aid to the PA should be leveraged until a commitment to elections is restored.

“Canada is an important partner in making sure that everybody is going in the direction of reform and the necessary conditions for a political breakthrough. And this political breakthrough could be achieved only through a change of leadership.”

Meanwhile, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is also calling on the Carney government to hold Palestinian leaders accountable for breaking its commitment to hold elections in 2026.

“The Canadian government offers no indication of what consequences the PA will face, while suggesting that Israel is somehow to blame for a decision made by the PA in cooperation with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both listed by Canada as terrorist entities,” the advocacy group said in a statement on Tuesday.

“While the Canadian government pursues punitive measures and sanctions against Israel, it must demonstrate that the Palestinians will also be held accountable for failing to honour their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace.”

CIJA Calls on Government of Canada to Hold Palestinian Leaders Accountable for Broken Statehood Commitments

“Canada's joint statement implies that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has broken an explicit commitment on which recognition of Palestinian statehood was predicated:… https://t.co/NecjijKR2I

— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) October 13, 2026

B’nai Brith Canada echoed this sentiment. A statement from CEO Simon Wolle read: “Instead of recognizing the PA’s responsibility for its failure to establish a functioning government and stable society, Canada and its counterparts have instead insinuated a level of blame on the State of Israel. This is a perverse and obvious attempt to distract from the reality that the PA has squandered numerous opportunities for peace and progress.”

Wolle added that it was “ill-conceived” of Carney to announce a commitment to recognizing a Palestinian state, and called the PA “a dysfunctional, corrupt dictatorship.”

Palestinians have no parliament, and the judicial system is controlled by the executive branch. Sinijlawi told National Post that schools are only open a few days a week because of financial crises, and teachers drive taxis in the afternoons to be able to provide for their families. He says hundreds of thousands of public sector workers don’t receive their salaries from the PA in full or on time.

“All of these challenges, and the current leadership for 21 years has not been able to find answers to them,” he said. “Maybe most of these issues could be related to Israel. But if leadership is not able to convince the Israelis to work in a direction that will solve these problems, then they need to step aside.”

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.