Hamas, Fatah Delegations to Meet in Cairo on Palestinian Elections
Technical, legal and security issues must be resolved first, observers say, to ensure the first Palestinian votes in 15 years are not derailed.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas last month announced the dates for the first polls since 2006, setting a legislative vote for May 22 and a presidential election on July 31.
They come in a year when Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu also faces new elections, months after the White House departure of his close US ally Donald Trump.
While Palestinians cut ties with Trump's administration, accusing it of egregious pro-Israel bias, they hope for renewed diplomacy under Joe Biden, who has vowed to restore aid to them.
The last Palestinian parliamentary vote saw Hamas win an unexpected landslide, a victory not recognized by Abbas's Fatah, which ultimately led to clashes and a split in Palestinian governance.
Fatah has since held control of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, and Hamas has been in power in Gaza since 2007, the year Israel imposed a devastating blockade on the Mediterranean enclave.
The divide has left the Palestinian Territories under two different political systems and without a functioning parliament.
By calling elections, experts say, Abbas is seeking to restore credibility in Palestinian governance.
