Research paper: Participation or exclusion — the legislative framework for guaranteeing youth and women a place in Palestine's governing institutions

This paper offers a policy diagnosis of the legislative framework governing the representation of women and youth in Palestinian governing institutions, at a rare moment of simultaneous formation in the Palestinian political system: an institutional-reform programme for the Palestinian Authority; local elections that produced 33% women's representation in April 2026; and a new transitional structure for governing Gaza operating under UN resolution 2803 that includes only one woman among fifteen members. The contrast between relative progress in the local elections and deep institutional absence in the upper structures shows that the Palestinian legislative system produces presence in the lower tiers of power while entrenching exclusion in its upper tiers. As for youth — with those under twenty-four exceeding 60% of the population, and those aged 18–29 by the UN definition making up more than 22% — they remain absent from any binding representative framework.
This paper was issued under the project «Empowering youth in civil peace through elections and respect for pluralism», implemented by Pal-Think for Strategic Studies in partnership with the French Consulate-General in Jerusalem.

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