Carney government must hold Palestinian Authority to account for postponing elections: CIJA

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to hold the Palestinian Authority accountable for breaking its commitment to hold elections in 2026.

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On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the postponement of legislative elections scheduled for next month until Sept. 11, 2027, Reuters is reporting. Abbas blamed Israel and the security concerns in the Palestinian territories for the delay, says the news agency.

This followed a report on Thursday from the Associated Press that Palestinian factions were discussing postponement. A top official with the Hamas-allied Islamic Jihad group told AP that the factions had reached an agreement to delay the vote.

CIJA has released a statement in response, pointing out that the prime minister recognized Palestinian statehood based on commitments made by the Palestinian Authority, including a promise to hold general elections in 2026, as well as undertake reforms.

Following confirmation that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is breaking its commitment of elections in 2026, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) released the following statement calling on the Government of Canada to take concrete measures to hold the PA accountable:… pic.twitter.com/u0UxnaRue3

— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) October 9, 2026

David Cooper, CIJA’s vice president of government relations, said in a statement emailed to National Post that the “recognition of Palestinian statehood was predicated on several commitments, including holding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas would have no role.”

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He said the reports that the Palestinian Authority has postponed elections amid cooperation with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, “raises serious questions whether the Palestinians will hold true to their word.”

Cooper noted that CIJA has raised these concerns directly with the government “including the imbalance between rewards to the Palestinians and punitive measures against Israel. We expect the government to hold the Palestinian Authority accountable for failing to meet its commitments.”

In July 2025, Carney announced his government’s commitment to recognize a Palestinian state in a statement, saying: “Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025. This intention is predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to much-needed reforms, including the commitments by Palestinian Authority President Abbas to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.”

However, CIJA says that if “recognizing Palestinian statehood has not secured even the commitments on which that recognition was predicated, Canadians deserve to know what Canada’s approach is achieving.”

The PA has also failed to enact reforms, notes CIJA, pointing in particular to ending payments to terrorists and the families of those who murdered innocent civilians.

“While Israel faces punitive measures from the Canadian government, the Palestinian Authority has yet to face accountability for failing to deliver on its commitments. This is a dangerous double standard that has implications for both the region and here in Canada where security experts warn that criticism of Israel has been exploited to fuel antisemitism, violence and even acts of terror.”

The Palestinians have not held legislative or presidential elections since 2005-06, states Reuters. After that, Islamist group Hamas seized control of Gaza, ousting Abbas’ loyalists. He has ruled by decree since his presidential mandate expired in 2009.

There was no immediate comment from Israel about Abbas’ announcement, said Reuters.

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