The Palestinian National Liberation Movement “Fatah” concluded its eighth conference, the most competitive and transformative conference the movement has ever had, which saw prisoner Marwan Barghouti continue to top the list of winners in the Central Committee, and changes affecting about half of the former members of the “Central Committee”, including leaders from the old generation, and the entry of leaders from the youth and middle generation, in addition to released prisoners and figures from Gaza.
Wide participation in the four squares
In the first elections held in Fatah in this manner, which took place at the main headquarters in Ramallah, and in three external locations, namely Gaza, Cairo and Beirut, the results, after a fierce competition, produced surprises, not only in terms of those who lost their seats in the Central Committee, but also in the loss of well-known names that were expected to succeed and reach the highest leadership body in the movement.
The eighth conference announced on Saturday evening that the voter turnout for the elections of the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council in the four arenas, Ramallah, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Cairo, reached 94.64 percent.
After hours of a lengthy sorting of names simultaneously between the headquarters and the three squares, which included counting the votes of the voters who registered a large turnout, and who voted in two separate ballots to choose 18 members for the Central Committee from among 59 competitors, and 80 members for the Revolutionary Council from among 450, the preliminary results were revealed.
The elections saw the victory of the two released prisoners, Zakaria Zubeidi and Tayseer Al-Bardini, in addition to Marwan Barghouti.
Barghouti in the lead
Prisoner Marwan Barghouti maintained his lead among the contenders, receiving 1,879 votes. In second place was Major General Majid Faraj, Director of the General Intelligence Service, with 1,861 votes, in his first competition for this position. He was followed by former Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub with 1,609 votes, then Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh with 1,570 votes, Laila Ghannam with 1,472 votes, Fatah Deputy Chairman Mahmoud al-Aloul with 1,469 votes, Tawfiq al-Tirawi with 1,361 votes, and Yasser Abbas with 1,290 votes.
Taysir Al-Bardini received 1214 votes, Zakaria Al-Zubaidi received 1194 votes, Ahmed Abu Holi received 1146 votes, Ahmed Helles received 1081 votes, Adnan Ghaith received 1024 votes, Musa Abu Zeid received 946 votes, Dalal Salameh received 937 votes, Muhammad Al-Madani received 898 votes, Iyad Safi received 897 votes, and Muhammad Ishtayeh received 891 votes.
Women, prisoners, and young people
This time, the list of winners included two women, Ghannam and Dalal Salameh, a former member of the Central Committee, raising women's representation to two seats compared to one seat in the previous session.
The list also included, in addition to Barghouti on the prisoners’ quota, the released prisoners Taysir al-Bardini and Zakaria al-Zubaidi, the former head of the “Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades” in Jenin, who were nominated on a special quota agreed upon by the released prisoners in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and abroad.
The elections saw the entry of Iyad Safi, who belongs to the youth generation, as a representative of the youth for the first time to the membership of the “Central Committee”, ahead of big names who competed under the name of “the youth generation” for this position.
Gaza's representation declined
Also winning the elections was Jerusalem Governor Adnan Ghaith, a well-known Fatah figure in the city, who is subject to strict measures imposed by the occupation authorities.
From Gaza, the electoral scene produced unexpected results, with the percentage of representation in the Central Committee decreasing from five members to four, the entry of three new members to lead the movement, and the exit of most of the previous ones.
From the Gaza Strip, only Ahmed Helles “Abu Maher” was elected from among the former members of the Central Committee, while Ahmed Abu Holi, Taysir Al-Bardini and Iyad Safi were elected for the first time.
Also winning from the West Bank were Zakaria al-Zubaidi, Musa Abu Zeid, Dalal Salameh, Muhammad al-Madani, and Muhammad Ishtayeh.
The victory of the intelligence chief, the president's son, and the two women, Laila Ghannam and Dalal Salameh
Exit of prominent names
While only four members from Gaza were successful, the elections saw the departure of prominent leaders, most notably Rawhi Fattouh, the head of the National Council, who assumed the duties of the Palestinian president after the death of President Yasser Arafat, as well as Haj Ismail Jabr, and Dr. Sabri Saidam, the deputy secretary of the Central Committee, while Dr. Nasser Al-Qudwa did not originally run to compete for the “Central Committee”.
As in Gaza, prominent leaders from the West Bank, including Abbas Zaki and Azzam al-Ahmad, were excluded from the Central Committee, while Dr. Samir al-Rifai, the movement’s regional coordinator abroad, also failed to win the elections.
The election results indicate that the entry of Iyad Safi, the youth affairs officer in the movement in the Gaza Strip, and the exit of leaders from the old generation, represent an indication of Fatah’s move towards internal change and the renewal of its leadership structure.
Zamlout: I did not have the honor of membership
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain and one of the most prominent figures who failed to win the elections, commented on the results in a Facebook post, saying: “The movement’s success in holding its eighth general conference, despite the dire circumstances and enormous obstacles, embodies its greatness and resilience.”
He added: “The conference was held simultaneously in the West Bank, Gaza, Egypt and Lebanon, and representatives of the Palestinians in the 1948 territories participated in it, to present a scene befitting the history of the movement, its struggle and sacrifices, and to confirm that it was and will remain the movement of the entire Palestinian people, and the most capable of uniting them in the homeland, the diaspora, inside and outside.”
He continued: “This time I did not have the honor and responsibility of being a member of the Central Committee at the most critical stage in our history,” noting that “internal elections always have their own balances and considerations.”
He affirmed that “the trust of hundreds of Fatah members who gave me their votes in the seventh and eighth conferences remains a great trust and a grave responsibility that I bear with pride and in accordance with the oath,” pledging that “these votes have not and will not go to waste.”
Last-minute alliances
The new central committee is scheduled to meet at the presidential headquarters within the next two days, while the process of distributing organizational tasks will take some time.
A former member of the Revolutionary Council, who participated in the fourth conference of the “Fatah Movement”, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that he had never witnessed an election atmosphere like these elections before.
He pointed out that major changes had taken place in recent hours, represented in the change of “alliances,” especially with regard to the elections of the Revolutionary Council, explaining that the “Central” lists and the arrangement of its alliances were completed early, and he said: “There are historical and well-known leaders who won based on their weight in the movement’s base, and others who relied on alliances.”
The final results of the Revolutionary Council elections have not yet been released, amid expectations that they will also witness widespread changes and the entry of new members.
It is currently being rumored within the movement that preparations are underway to elect new leaders for the movement's regions, or to issue assignments to the external arenas, and to begin organizational tasks in accordance with the basic system and the national and political programs.
