Palestinian Forum in Britain discusses diaspora’s right to elect representatives to National Council
The Palestinian Forum in Britain has invited members of the community to attend a panel discussion on their right to elect representatives to the Palestinian National Council, amid growing debate over how members representing Palestinians living abroad should be selected and calls for appointments where elections cannot be held.
The event, titled “Palestinians in Britain and the Right to Elect Their Representatives to the Palestinian National Council,” is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 11, 2026, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at P21 Gallery in central London.
The Palestinian Forum in Britain said the event will bring together a number of Palestinian figures and examine the importance of enabling Palestinians living in Britain to exercise their right to choose their representatives to the National Council. It will also discuss proposals to appoint council members rather than elect them.
The event will begin with opening remarks before members of the audience are invited to participate in discussion and dialogue, with the aim of developing a clear position among Palestinians in Britain on the appointment of National Council members and strengthening debate over democratic representation for Palestinians in the diaspora.
Elections planned in Palestine and the diaspora
The forum’s call comes amid political and legal preparations taking place in 2026 to restructure the Palestinian National Council and renew the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree calling on Palestinians in Palestine and the diaspora to participate in elections for the Palestinian National Council, setting November 1, 2026, as the date for the vote.
Under the announced arrangements, elections will be held wherever possible inside and outside Palestine, using a fully proportional representation system aimed at ensuring the widest possible participation of Palestinians wherever they live.
The Palestinian president later approved the 2026 electoral system for the Palestinian National Council, which sets the council’s membership at 350 seats. Of these, 200 seats will represent Palestinians in the Palestinian territories, while 150 seats will represent Palestinians living abroad and in the diaspora.
The system also provides for each area where Palestinians live abroad to be treated as a separate electoral district if elections are held there. Members will be elected through direct secret ballot using a list-based system and full proportional representation.
Elections, consensus and appointments
The electoral system has nevertheless sparked broad debate over alternative mechanisms in areas where direct elections cannot be organised.
Under the announced arrangements, where elections cannot be held in a diaspora electoral district, alternative mechanisms may be used, including an electoral college or consensus among members of the Palestinian community. The possibility of appointing members in certain cases has also prompted debate among Palestinian political and civil society groups over whether such a step is compatible with Palestinians’ right to choose their representatives.
This issue is at the heart of the discussion that the Palestinian Forum in Britain is seeking to open within the Palestinian community, amid calls from Palestinian organisations and groups for clear safeguards to prevent direct elections from being replaced by mechanisms that could limit democratic participation by Palestinians abroad.
Representing Palestinians in Britain
The representation of Palestinians in the diaspora has gained particular importance following the allocation of 150 seats to Palestinians living abroad, alongside continuing debate over how representatives of Palestinian communities in different countries should be selected.
The event is expected to provide a platform for Palestinians in Britain to discuss the future of their representation in the Palestinian National Council and their role in choosing the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as preparations continue for the electoral process scheduled to take place in the coming months.
Adnan Hmidan, head of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, has called for a strong turnout from those interested in Palestinian political affairs and encouraged participation in the discussion over the future representation of Palestinians in the diaspora on the Palestinian National Council.
Hmidan said the event is also open to the media for coverage and reporting, with the aim of “making the voice heard loud and clear” regarding the forum’s opposition to appointing representatives of Palestinians in Britain to the National Council and its insistence on their right to elect their representatives democratically.
Hmidan argues that the political and legal environment in Britain allows elections to be held and Palestinian representatives to be chosen, making the use of appointments, in his view, an option that should not be adopted in the British case.
The event will begin with opening remarks from a number of Palestinian figures before the floor is opened to discussion and dialogue with attendees, in an effort to establish a clear Palestinian position in Britain on the mechanisms for selecting community representatives to the Palestinian National Council.
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