Palestine
Palestine performs in the mid-range in the Participation and Rights categories of the Global State of Democracy framework, while scoring low in Representation and Rule of Law. It falls among the bottom 25 per cent of countries in a majority of factors of the framework. Compared to five years prior, Palestine has seen significant declines in Access to Justice, Civil Liberties, Judicial Independence, Predictable Enforcement and Civil Society. It has a heavily aid-dependent economy, with high poverty and unemployment rates. Israeli control of Palestinian Authority tax revenues, land, resources, and movement restricts market access and jobs, straining the economy.
Palestine is comprised of two geographically separated areas of land, the West Bank and Gaza Strip; the GSoD Indices data cover only the West Bank.
Palestine has never existed as a fully realized nation-state, as foreign powers have for centuries been the dominant sovereign authority. In 1948, despite rejection by Arab states, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181, which created the State of Israel on 77 per cent of Palestinian land. Palestinians faced mass expulsion and ethnic cleansing (Nakba). Subsequent Arab-Israeli wars led to the displacement of millions of Palestinians, resulting in a large refugee population.
Today, around 60 per cent of Palestinian territories remain under full Israeli control. These areas are particularly subject to constant military presence, frequent arrests and detentions, ongoing violence, severe movement restrictions, and widespread destruction of Palestinian property. In this context, the quest for independent statehood and redress for historical injustices continues to be a central driving force in Palestinian politics. Yet, the state on offer to Palestine has been rapidly diminishing due to the expansion of Israel’s colonial settlement project and the persistent occupation, factors that which profoundly impact every aspect of Palestinian life.
Palestinian politics are divided between two main factions: Fatah and Hamas. Fatah is a secular nationalist party that leads the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a coalition of political parties formed in the 1960s to represent Palestinians at international fora. Domestically, it controls the Palestinian Authority, a limited self-governing body created in 1994 by the Oslo Accords to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza. However, since 2007, Gaza has been governed by Hamas, an Islamist group. The split in Palestine’s governance occurred after the 2006 legislative elections, which were won by Hamas but disputed by Fatah. No national elections have been held since.
The political context has been marked by institutional stagnation, including postponed presidential elections, an increasingly strong executive, corruption, and a vast security apparatus used to repress dissent. Since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023, the devastating impacts of the war have also come to the fore, including the destruction of infrastructure, food insecurity, disease, the curtailment of press freedom and forceful displacement of almost the entire population of Gaza.
Palestine scores low on the GSoD’s measure of Gender Equality, with women underrepresented in the labour market and politics. Despite an active civil society advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights, the community faces stigma and violence.
Looking ahead, democratic progress in Palestine depends fundamentally on the cessation of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and the end of occupation. Once these realities change, other critical issues to watch will include the unification of its governance, the resumption of national elections, and any advancement toward full sovereign statehood.
Last Updated: June 2025
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
June 2026
Reforms to Palestinian legislative bodies set stage for elections
In June, Mahmoud Abbas issued reforms paving the way for elections to Palestine's two legislative bodies, the Palestinian National Council (PNC) and the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). On 4 June, he approved a new electoral system for the PNC, the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s legislature, cutting its membership from 747 to 350 seats and introducing its first direct elections. It replaces the appointment-based quota system used since 1964. Of the 350 seats, 150 are due to be elected by the diaspora, though diaspora voting remains uncertain. The remaining 200 territorial seats will be filled automatically by the winners of the elections to the PLC, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority. Under separate amendments issued by Abbas on 14 June, the PLC is to be expanded from 132 to 200 seats, the age of candidacy lowered from 28 to 23, and the electoral threshold cut from 2 to 1 per cent. The PNC vote is set for 1 November, the PLC vote for 28 November.
Sources: WAFA News Agency (1), WAFA News Agency (2), +972 Mag, WAFA News Agency (3), WAFA News Agency (4), The New Arab
April 2026
Municipal elections held under tightened candidate eligibility rules
On 25 April, local elections were held in municipalities and village councils across the West Bank, and in Deir al-Balah in Gaza; marking the first vote held in parts of Gaza in over 20 years. While the elections represent a positive step toward renewed local electoral participation, the process took place under a 2025 presidential decree by Mahmoud Abbas, which requires candidates to commit to the programme of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and allows the Central Elections Commission to disqualify candidates who do not pledge allegiance. Several political factions and civil society groups criticised these provisions as introducing new restrictions on eligibility and constraining political pluralism.
Sources: Central Elections Commission of Palestine, Independent Commission for Human Rights, Al Quds, The New Arab
February 2026
Israel expands control in the West Bank amid major settlement expansion
On 8 February, Israel’s security cabinet approved a series of measures that unilaterally expand Israeli administrative and legal control in the occupied West Bank. The measures include facilitating the registration and acquisition of legal title to land seized by Israeli settlers in the territory, removing restrictions on land purchases by Jewish citizens, thus expanding Israeli authority over planning and administrative matters in areas under Palestinian Authority administration, and reviving mechanisms for state-led land acquisition and expropriation in the territory. International observers have warned that these steps constitute significant moves toward the de facto annexation of the West Bank.
Update: The measures were followed by a further expansion of the illegal settlements. At the end of March, the security cabinet approved the establishment of 34 settlements in the West Bank, including new settlements and previously unauthorized outposts that were retroactively legalized. The decision represents the largest single approval of settlements by any Israeli government and brings the total number of settlements authorized under the current government to 103.
Sources: The Times of Israel (1), Middle East Eye, Amnesty International, The Times of Israel (2)
November 2025
New municipal election law introduces PLO allegiance requirement
On 19 November, President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree-law introducing a new framework for the Palestinian municipal elections scheduled for April 2026. A key provision of the law requires all candidates wishing to participate in the elections to sign a declaration of allegiance to the political programme of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). This requirement has raised concerns as rights groups warn that it effectively excludes political actors and organizations outside the PLO framework from participating in the elections. A total of five factions—including four that are formally affiliated with the PLO (the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestine People’s Party, and the Palestinian Democratic Union) and one independent faction, the Palestinian National Initiative (Al-Mubadara)—have rejected the requirement and called for the withdrawal of the presidential decree.
Sources: Central Elections Commission, Independent Commission for Human Rights, Al Quds
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