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Palestinians Anticipate Abbas Setting Date for Elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Reuters file photo
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Reuters file photo
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Palestinians Anticipate Abbas Setting Date for Elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Reuters file photo
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Reuters file photo

Independent Palestinian political researchers and analysts predicted that President Mahmoud Abbas will set a date for upcoming legislative and presidential elections on Oct. 3.

Aref Jaffal, General Director of the Arab World Marsad for Democratic Reform and Election, told AFP that Abbas, according to intel obtained through calls with officials, will issue a presidential decree on Oct. 3 for holding elections.

The decree will be issued before Abbas meeting with representatives of Palestinian factions.

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) revealed that it is prepared to hold polls as soon as the presidential decree is issued and confirmed that it needs 110 days to complete the first phase of elections.

CEC Director Hisham Kahil said that the commission is ready for both legislative and presidential polls, but it is waiting for Abbas’ order.

“CEC Chairman Hanna Nasser informed Abbas of the details on organizing elections, issuing the timeline, registering voters and holding electoral campaigns,” Kahil told the official Palestinian news agency.

Gaza rulers Hamas and their rivals in the occupied West Bank, Fatah, have agreed to unify Palestinian ranks and hold the first elections in nearly 15 years.

Abbas, since the start of Sept., has met with representatives and officials of Palestinian factions and informed them of all the decisions to be made by commissions assigned with ending Palestinian divisions and unifying the national stance.

For the first time in 13 years, a meeting brought together Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah and Fatah leader Abbas.

In their final statement, the conferees agreed on forming a committee of influential and trustworthy national figures whose mission is to develop, within no more than five weeks, a strategic vision to end the inter-Palestinian division and achieve political partnership.

They also agreed to establish a national committee to lead the comprehensive popular resistance against the Israeli occupation.

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Former Regime Elements, Drug Traffickers Targeted in Western Homs and Damascus Campaigns

The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
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Former Regime Elements, Drug Traffickers Targeted in Western Homs and Damascus Campaigns

The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).

The Syrian Military Operations Administration has been pressing its security campaigns aimed at disarming former regime militia remnants and combating drug traffickers across Syria.

On Tuesday, for the third time, the administration, in collaboration with the General Security Directorate, launched a large-scale operation in western rural Homs. The campaign focused on the villages of Jabbourin Rafain, Al-Haysa, Jabbourin, Qaniyat Al-Assi, Tasnin, Kafrnan, Akrad Al-Dasniya, and their surroundings. Simultaneous campaigns were conducted in Aleppo’s Nairab district, Jaramana in the Damascus countryside, and northern Daraa.

Security sources said the operation in rural Homs targets “remnants of Assad militias who refused to surrender their weapons, arms depots, drug dealers, and traffickers,” according to an official statement from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Military reinforcements were dispatched to support the campaign in the targeted areas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the operation in the village of Jabbourin in rural Hama marked the second such operation within a week. The observatory noted that several civilians and military personnel, including those who had reconciled with the government, were arrested. Some detainees were later released, while others remain under investigation.

Residents in rural Homs expressed significant concern about the proliferation of weapons, incidents of abductions, and the escalating fear of retribution. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, they noted a prevailing sense of unease and insecurity, as anonymous actors exploit the current chaos to fuel tensions and instability.

The General Security Directorate in Homs has urged residents in western rural Homs villages and towns to fully cooperate with its forces and the Military Operations Administration to ensure the success of the campaign’s objectives.

In Daraa, southern Syria, the Daraa 24 network reported that the General Security Directorate carried out a raid in the city of Izraa, north of Daraa. During the operation, large quantities of weapons were seized, and warnings were issued to individuals still in possession of firearms to surrender them “to preserve the region’s security and stability.”

An earlier security operation in the Lajat region, located between the Suwayda and Daraa governorates, resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals described as former regime remnants, drug traffickers, and arms dealers. The Syrian Interior Ministry also announced the arrest of “remnant elements and members of a gang involved in the theft of weapons from a warehouse in the Mazraa project area of Damascus.”

Meanwhile, the General Security Directorate released several former regime elements in Damascus after verifying their lack of involvement in violations against the Syrian people. According to local sources cited by Syrian Television, several conscripts detained in Adra Prison in Damascus were freed on Tuesday, with additional releases expected in the coming days.

Last week, the General Security Directorate released 360 detainees, including former regime officers, out of approximately 800 people arrested as part of the Homs security campaign. Following investigations, the authorities confirmed that those individuals were not in possession of weapons and had pledged not to engage in activities against the new Syrian administration.