The corridors of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) are currently witnessing intensive meetings held by its leadership bodies, particularly the Preparatory Committee for the Eighth General Conference and its subcommittees, to ensure the conference is held on schedule in the middle of next month. This comes amidst differing viewpoints regarding the number of members who will elect the new Central Committee and Revolutionary Council, which are expected to undergo significant changes.
Multiple sources within the movement told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the meeting held by President Mahmoud Abbas, head of Fatah, on Sunday evening with the Preparatory Committee—which includes members of the Central Committee, the Revolutionary Council, and the Advisory Council—did not result in the president approving the list presented by the committee members. This was due to the list containing nearly 4,000 members, a number unprecedented in the seven previous Fatah conferences. Consequently, the president requested the committee to revisit the process of identifying and reducing the number, as is customary, to 1,500 members representing the movement's various branches both within Palestine and abroad.
Reducing the number
An official from the Revolutionary Council stated that the preparatory committee, which held a series of meetings recently, conducted a comprehensive census of Fatah cadres who meet the previously established membership criteria for the conference. This census included members holding established leadership positions within the movement, such as current and former members of the Central Committee, members of the Revolutionary Council and the Advisory Council, members of Fatah's regional leadership, secretaries of movement offices, prominent organizational figures in unions and institutions, representatives of women and the youth sector within Fatah, and members of the prisoner corps.
He explained that the census resulted in an unprecedentedly long list, reaching approximately 3,500 members the day before the meeting with President Abbas. He noted that the number increased further before the meeting, prompting the President to request the committee to revise the census process. He added that the President informed the preparatory committee that Fatah's internal regulations stipulate that the General Conference is a representative conference and does not include such a large number of participants.
Forming logistical committees to oversee its implementation
According to the official statement issued after the President's meeting with the committee, he indicated that he had reviewed the ongoing preparations and emphasized the necessity of finalizing all arrangements for holding the conference on its scheduled date of May 14. He stressed the importance of adhering to the movement's internal regulations, the approved standards, and the membership requirements. He also agreed that the preparatory committee would submit all files related to holding the movement's eighth conference on Thursday for approval.
The preparatory committee resumed its meetings the following day, which are still ongoing, to finalize the membership list and reduce the number of delegates before submitting it to President Abbas for approval at the meeting scheduled for Thursday. On the ground, the preparatory committee formed several subcommittees to oversee the organization of the conference and the election process, which will take place on the final day. The conference is scheduled to run from May 14 to 16.
It has been decided that the main conference venue will be in Ramallah in the West Bank, with participation from members residing there and those able to travel from abroad. A secondary venue will be established in the Gaza Strip, and a third is being prepared in Cairo, Egypt, for Fatah members abroad who cannot reach Ramallah. A fourth venue will be in Beirut, Lebanon, for Fatah members in Lebanon and Syria. The
Fatah leadership has decided that the quorum for the conference will be calculated from the combined total of the four venues, rather than from each venue individually. This will ensure a quorum even if Israel attempts to obstruct the arrival of participants from abroad.
Among the committees formed is the Media Committee, headed by Deputy Secretary of the Central Committee, Dr. Sabri Saidam, and comprising members of the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council. According to committee members, this committee has completed more than 80 percent of its assigned tasks, including the logo and printed materials. Currently, plans are underway to produce explanatory videos for participants during the conference, demonstrating the correct voting procedures, nomination processes,, and other related matters.
Logistics committees were also formed to oversee the organization of the conference and the voting process in the four regions. These committees are headed by Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of the Fatah Central Committee.
Their tasks include arranging the reception of participants, overseeing the management of the conference and its subcommittees, and counting the votes. The conference is also expected to approve the movement's bylaws and its new national and political programs.
On the ground, the logistics committee has begun its initial work, developing the necessary work plan and identifying needs. A virtual meeting of the four committees with the head of the preparatory committee is scheduled to be held soon. However, the participation of guests in the opening session, as has been customary, remains undecided, with attendance expected to be limited to the movement's leadership.
Candidates' moves
Another official in the Revolutionary Council told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that there is currently a flurry of activity on the ground among those wishing to run for membership in either the Central Committee or the Revolutionary Council. This activity includes well-known and influential leaders, as well as new field, union, and movement leaders. The aim of this activity is to gauge the opinions of potential candidates regarding their chances of winning should they run. Meanwhile, other leaders within the movement have already decided to run for membership in the Central Committee, the highest leadership body in the organization.
As of now, it is expected that most current Central Committee members will run again, while there is strong talk within the movement about significant changes, including the entry of a large number of movement leaders into the Central Committee for the first time, among them individuals belonging to the "youth wing," as it is known within Fatah.
Within the movement, discussions have begun regarding potential candidates for membership in the Central Committeethe highest leadership body in the organization.
As of now, it is expected that most current Central Committee members will run again, while there is strong talk within the movement about significant changes, including the entry of a large number of movement leaders into the Central Committee for the first time, among them individuals belonging to the "youth wing," as it is known within Fatah.
Within the movement, discussions have begun regarding potential candidates for membership in the Central Committee, most of whom are current members of the Revolutionary Council. A number of released prisoners also aspire to compete for membership in both the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council. However, according to a Fatah regional leader in Gaza, the number of candidates will be streamlined, unlike at the previous conference where a large number of participants ran, leading to a fragmentation of votes and a lack of representation for the movement's various branches
and sectors. He explained that there is a preliminary agreement among leaders in Gaza on this matter. It is being discussed that the eighth Fatah conference will ensure representation for all sectors and sectors, including women, youth, and prisoners. The last Fatah conference was held on November 29, 2016, and the eighth conference was originally scheduled for four years later, but it has been postponed several times.
Action plan proposals
Regarding the conference, Ambassador Nazmi Hazouri wrote an article in which he stressed that in light of these facts, “the eighth Fatah conference becomes a pivotal point, not only to rearrange the internal house, but to develop a comprehensive national strategy that restores the Palestinian cause to its rightful place at the regional and international levels.” This places a great responsibility on the members of the conference, and on the leadership that will emerge from it, to “formulate decisions that rise to the level of the challenges.” He said that the current stage “requires the movement to adopt a more effective approach in the political confrontation, through what can be described as a political offensive.”
As for the writer Al-Mutawakkil Taha, he wrote seven articles about the upcoming conference, asserting that Fatah remains the most capable force for revitalizing the national project, provided it redefines itself and frees itself from the constraints of agreements and its ties to the Palestinian Authority, which, in his view, has become an obstacle to liberation and has contributed to making the occupation less costly and more stable. He also believes, in discussing the conference, that the Authority's project in its current form has failed and reached a dead end. He warned against continuing in political illusion, emphasizing that silence constitutes complicity in the grim fate, and that Fatah's restoration of its revolutionary role is a fundamental condition for reviving the theory of Palestinian defiance and survival. In his writings about the conference, he affirms that Fatah is still capable of resurgence and overcoming its internal crisis, provided it possesses the courage to acknowledge it, the capacity for change, and the will to return to its role as a national liberation force. He also emphasizes that confrontation with the occupation is the factor capable of unifying Fatah and restoring its vitality, not waiting for miracles. He called for activating the tools of political and cultural engagement, because stagnation will inevitably lead to an explosion or the imposition of others' agendas on the movement.
