Region | Palestinian Territories
Change of guard for Fatah
Party revolts from within with new members comprising former fighters and political prisoners.
- By Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor
- Published: 23:10 August 11, 2009
- Image Credit: EPA
- Mahmoud Abbas, 74, was re-elected as leader of the mainstream Fatah movement during a show of hands, while Ahmad Qurei (right) was not elected to the Central Committee, as many of the 'old guard' in the movement were replaced by younger faces.
Dubai: The Palestinian Fatah party has revitalised itself by electing an almost new leadership during its first congress.
Fatah's leadership rejuvenation gave a boost to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the internal arena, and is also expected to strengthen the group he belongs to at the peace negotiating table with Israel.
However, at the same time, it shows that all options for Fatah are open, including the armed struggle, Palestinian analysts said.
The congress and the central committee results have "united Fatah and made it stronger," Hani Al Masri, head of the West Bank Badae'l Centre for media and research said.
"But it will not totally change the group," Al Masri told Gulf News.
"The essence of the congress is that it kept all options open for Fatah&. The resistance in all its forms, while it kept the hand for the peace negotiations extended," he added.
Fourteen new faces have replaced Palestinian politicians out of the 18-member central committee of Fatah, official results showed.
Both Ahmad Qurei and Al Tayeb Abdul Rahim have failed to keep their seats on the committee.
Many of the new members are not young in age, but "new" as they are political prisoners and former fighters.
They include Marwan Barghouti who is serving life in an Israeli jail. With 1,063 votes, Barghouti came third after both Abu Maher Ghuneim and Mahmoud Aloul, who received 1,338 and 1,112 votes respectively.
Former security chiefs Jebril Rjoub and Mohammad Dahlan were also among the new elected faces, with 908 and 853 votes respectively.
The results have shown "reorganisation for Mahmoud Abbas legitimacy, which was questioned by the previous committee," said Rami Nasrallah, head of the International Peace and Cooperation Centre, a think-tank based in occupied Jerusalem.
Furthermore, the election results boosted the position of Abbas and put a stop to the "strong competition" from Qurei for presidency, Nasrallah added.
But at the same time, the results carry certain ramifications, Palestinians analysts believe. The congress, they explained, has considered the problem with Hamas as minor, while enmity with Israel is the main problem.
Some of the new members, including Nabeel Sha'ath, are staunch supporters for a reconciliation with Hamas, Fatah's rival, which controls the Gaza strip, Al Masri, who is a member of a government committee, said.
With the election of the new members, the chance to reach an agreement with Hamas seems bigger than before, analysts added.
And it is still unclear how the results will bridge the gap existing between Fatah and the popular base as the new members are not representative to the "segment of the ordinary Palestinians who are supporting Fatah or feel angry from, and don't belong to Hamas," Nasrallah said.
Moreover, Abbas, analysts believe is expected to use the opposition of some members of the central committee to win better conditions at the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, many believe the US, the main sponsor of the peace talks, has actively supported the Fatah congress for many reasons including making sure that Hamas is not the only option, and to smooth the peace path. The US has blacklisted Hamas, and has rejected dealings with it.
"Yes," responded Al Masri when asked about what many Palestinians said of Washington's support to the Fatah Congress.
"The first question [US President Barack] Obama asked Abbas when they met late May was 'what about the Fatah congress?'. Their discussions about it lasted for 20 minutes."
While the US seeks a more "lenient" Palestinian position in the peace talks, the Fatah congress showed it is ready for negotiations but not at any price," Al Masri said.
"The ball now is in Washington's court," Al Masri said.
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