While Israelis are going to the ballot box for the 10th time in the last 20 years, Palestinians have not had the opportunity to choose their leadership freely for two decades.
US AMBASSADOR Mike Waltz votes at the UN Security Council in favor of a resolution for a UN mandate to establish an international stabilization force in Gaza, on Monday
Photo credit: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
This week’s UN Security Council resolution on Gaza is historic. It represents a rare convergence of international consensus, regional cooperation, and American leadership.
For decades, the Palestinian people have been sidelined from meaningful international initiatives, partly because the current Palestinian leadership has been paralyzed by entrenched politics, factionalism, and systemic failure to reform institutions. Their absence in this process is not a rejection of the Palestinian people but a clear signal that new leadership, legitimate and accountable, is needed to seize this historic moment.
Into this void has stepped US President Donald Trump, whose unprecedented initiative opened a narrow but real window of hope. He achieved what many considered impossible: a ceasefire in Gaza, broad international backing for reconstruction, and a roadmap that links humanitarian relief to political reform, reconstruction to accountability, and security to governance. No other world leader could have forced this breakthrough, and no other can guarantee that it is translated into meaningful, long-term Palestinian reform.
Creating lasting change
If Trump was able to achieve this historical breakthrough, he is also the only leader capable of enforcing Palestinian elections – the one and only mechanism to bring lasting change: to move the Palestinian polity from radicalism to moderation, from corruption to accountability, from stagnation to transparency. Without elections, every institutional and humanitarian initiative risks being co-opted, delayed, or undermined by the same factions that have blocked reform for decades.
Palestinians have waited too long. While Israelis are going to the ballot box for the 10th time in the last 20 years, Palestinians have not had the opportunity to choose their leadership freely for two decades. This resolution, and the Trump-led framework behind it, depends on the support of a majority from both sides – and only the ballot boxes can validate that support, giving the process legitimacy, credibility, and durability.
The opportunities this plan brings into action are unprecedented:
- A large-scale reconstruction effort to rebuild Gaza’s hospitals, schools, and infrastructure on a scale unseen since 2007.
- A framework for competent, technocratic governance, giving Palestinian administrators real authority while insulating them from armed factions.
- International and regional oversight, ensuring transparency and accountability, and guaranteeing that funds reach those who need them.
- A chance for Palestinian unity, linking Gaza and the West Bank under leadership chosen by the people themselves through elections.
- A foundation for regional peace, tying reconstruction to demilitarization, shared responsibilities, and cooperation with Israel and Arab states.
The necessity of Palestinian elections
Yet even the best-planned reconstruction cannot succeed without political legitimacy. Elections are not a luxury; they are a precondition for reform and for durable peace. Only through elections can Palestinians select leaders capable of implementing reforms, negotiating responsibly, and rebuilding Gaza’s institutions on a foundation of trust and integrity.
Trump’s initiative also addresses what I have previously called the “4 Ds”: Demilitarization, Deradicalization, Democratization, and Development. This resolution lays the groundwork for all four: It reduces immediate violence, separates armed factions from governance, transforms extremist influence into moderation, introduces democratic legitimacy, and mobilizes development aid.
Yet, each of these pillars depends ultimately on Palestinian leadership that is legitimate, accountable, and supported by its people – something only elections can ensure.
For Gaza, for the Palestinian people, and for the region, this is a narrow, fleeting window of hope. The dawn offered by the UNSC resolution will only break if Palestinians actively engage, participate positively, and insist on free and fair elections. The international community, led by Trump’s initiative, has laid the foundation. Now it is up to Palestinians to take responsibility, reclaim agency, and secure their future through the ballot box.
Free and fair elections are not a Palestinian request. They are a right, a necessity, and the only guarantee that this new dawn will not fade into yet another missed opportunity.
The writer is a Palestinian political activist from east Jerusalem who calls for Palestinian reform and democracy and for dialogue and coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis.