Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the eighth general conference of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement “Fatah” is being held “at a pivotal moment in the history of our people and our national cause,” stressing that its convening in the current circumstances renews the movement’s determination to continue the democratic path within its frameworks.
Abbas added, during the opening of the conference in the Ahmed Shuqairi Hall at the Presidential Headquarters in Ramallah, that the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip necessitates enabling the State of Palestine to play its role through its sovereign and service institutions.
He stressed that “systematic terrorism and settlement activity in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, require holding the occupying government accountable and imposing deterrent measures,” calling on the international community to take immediate action to protect East Jerusalem and stop the violation of international law and the status quo.
Abbas also called for a return to the implementation of the signed agreements and a halt to unilateral actions that violate international law, stressing the Palestinian leadership’s support for international efforts that recognize the rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the resolutions of international legitimacy and the New York Declaration.
Palestine affirmed its firm position based on respect for the sovereignty, security and stability of states, and non-interference in their internal affairs.
The eighth conference commenced simultaneously in four locations: Ramallah, the Gaza Strip, Cairo and Beirut, with the participation of approximately 2,580 members, including 1,600 in Ramallah, 400 in Gaza, 400 in Cairo and 200 in Beirut.
The conference will elect 80 members to the Revolutionary Council and 18 members to the Central Committee, according to the movement’s internal regulations. Its work will continue for three days, including discussing reports and opening nominations, before holding elections on Saturday and announcing the results and the final statement.
The conference opened with verses from the Holy Quran, the national anthem, and a minute of silence for the souls of the martyrs, in the presence of ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, religious figures, and representatives of national factions and forces and civil society institutions.
Sanchez: Two-state solution to achieve peace
In his address to the conference, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, president of the Socialist International, stated that the conference was being held under extremely difficult circumstances, demanding responsibility, unity, and political leadership. He reiterated his commitment to a just and lasting solution based on international law, emphasizing that the two-state solution remains the political framework for achieving peace and stability.
Prior to the opening of the conference, fierce competition for leadership positions dominated the proceedings of the eighth conference of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement “Fatah”, which began its work on Thursday and will end on Saturday with voting to choose new members for the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council of the movement, as the participating movement leaders are preparing to raise other important issues, most notably the development of the internal reconciliation file, as well as the basic system and the national and political programs.
Amid the ongoing dispute within the movement, the eighth conference commenced, during which supporters of the dismissed movement leader, Mohammed Dahlan, continued to withdraw from the participating frameworks, after many of them refused to follow the procedures approved by the movement's leadership for their return to the organization's ranks.
Over the past period, according to an official in the movement who spoke to Al-Quds Al-Arabi, unannounced contacts took place between leaders in the movement who hold senior positions and others nominated for membership in the Central Committee, with others who support Dahlan, discussing the possibility of achieving unity in the movement, and leaving the square of disputes whose pace is often controlled by field conditions, sometimes rising and sometimes settling.
The most prominent points of contention that kept the steel walls of disagreement standing in the way of ending the file were the form of return of the leaders who had previously decided their fate and resorted to working within Dahlan’s team, after the Central Committee had been strict in its decision that each member should submit an individual request to return to the ranks of the movement, at the normal organizational level, without his previous level that he was dismissed from by an organizational decision while he was occupying it, on charges of “deviance,” with the exception of those against whom judicial rulings were issued, which is something that Dahlan’s team rejects, as it clung to the request for a collective return, without submitting requests, on the basis that their dismissal was collective, without movement trials.
Here, the issue of settling internal disputes, whether with Dahlan and his supporters, or at other leadership levels, is expected to be addressed in the conference sessions, which will discuss major programs, most notably the internal regulations, the political program, and the national action program. Recommendations on this matter will be submitted to the new movement leadership to work on resolving the dispute and consolidating the organization, which faces major challenges, most notably the hostile policies of the Israeli right-wing government.
But a leader in the movement who is preparing to compete in the elections for membership in the Central Committee told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that this issue is expected to be raised, but he pointed out that the movements of the conference members to talk about the elections in which the members of the “Central” and “Revolutionary” will be chosen will overshadow any other issue.
Political and organizational programs awaiting approval
He revealed that specialized committees, headed by members of the Central Committee and including leaders from the Revolutionary and Advisory Councils, worked on drafting the new system for the movement and the political and national programs, to be approved at the Eighth Conference.
However, he stressed that the large size of these programs may not help the conference to approve the general system, provided that the conference adopts a decision to refer it to the new Revolutionary Council as the “parliament of the movement” for its approval later.Here, the issue of settling internal disputes, whether with Dahlan and his supporters, or at other leadership levels, is expected to be addressed in the conference sessions, which will discuss major programs, most notably the internal regulations, the political program, and the national action program. Recommendations on this matter will be submitted to the new movement leadership to work on resolving the dispute and consolidating the organization, which faces major challenges, most notably the hostile policies of the Israeli right-wing government.
But a leader in the movement who is preparing to compete in the elections for membership in the Central Committee told that this issue is expected to be raised, but he pointed out that the movements of the conference members to talk about the elections in which the members of the “Central” and “Revolutionary” will be chosen will overshadow any other issue.
Political and organizational programs awaiting approval
He revealed that specialized committees, headed by members of the Central Committee and including leaders from the Revolutionary and Advisory Councils, worked on drafting the new system for the movement and the political and national programs, to be approved at the Eighth Conference.
However, he stressed that the large size of these programs may not help the conference to approve the general system, provided that the conference adopts a decision to refer it to the new Revolutionary Council as the “parliament of the movement” for its approval later.
He pointed out that the political program was written on dozens of pages, as well as the national action program, and that these programs would be distributed to the members, and there would be a summary of them, in order to provide an opportunity, when the conference committees are formed, to review them and make comments, and at the conclusion of the conference sessions, before the election date, to work on approving them by a majority vote.
According to the leader, who is competing for membership in the Central Committee, the new political program of the “Fatah” movement is very important, in light of the developments that have taken place on the ground during the past two years, including the war of extermination in Gaza, the expansion of settlements, and settler attacks in the West Bank.While the elections and the selection of the movement’s new leadership are expected to dominate the conference proceedings, some leaders within the movement, including leaders from among the released prisoners, are taking a firm stance against making the conference appear to be solely for the purpose of elections, by expanding participation in the discussion about the movement’s programs for the coming period.
One of the released prisoners confirmed to Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the eighth conference is being held this time amid complex internal, regional and international circumstances, in light of the war on Gaza and the escalating Israeli pressure on the West Bank.
He said: “The conference comes at a pivotal stage. Everyone wants to renew the Fatah discourse and political program.” He continued: “There is also a strong trend towards a major renewal at the leadership level in order to revitalize all the movement’s structures with new leaders from the younger and middle generations.”
Early electoral alliances and active behind-the-scenes maneuvering
As the conference began its first day of work, the map of internal alliances began to emerge more clearly, forming lists to compete for membership in the leadership positions, “Central” and “Revolutionary,” taking into account geographical location and the quota for women and youth, most notably those led by influential members of the current Central Committee.
Over the past three days, the areas where members arriving from abroad, from “Arab and foreign arenas,” have arrived at the main conference center in Ramallah, as well as Cairo Square, have witnessed meetings and visits from leaders preparing to compete in the elections, while other leaders held meetings with members in other places, including their homes, as part of attempts to obtain the largest number of votes.
The movement's salons and the homes of influential and well-known leaders appeared like beehives, constantly buzzing with the movement of arrivals and departures, at a time when the competition is expected to be greater than in previous times, and many leaders are expected to leave the organizational structure, in light of the names that are putting themselves forward this time to compete.
The conference members, especially those intending to run for membership in the Revolutionary Council, took advantage of the time they were gathered before the start of the conference proceedings at the main headquarters in Ramallah, and in the three other venues: Gaza, Cairo and Beirut, to exchange side conversations, with the aim of mobilizing as many supporters as possible, as it is expected that the pace of these movements will increase, and that lists and alliances will change in the last hours before the start of the voting process.
On the morning of the first day of the conference, a number ofcandidates began directly contacting members to announce their candidacy and ask for their support. Others resorted to social media and groups for the movement’s leaders on WhatsApp to announce their candidacy. The number of candidates is expected to increase as the nomination process opens.
