RAMALLAH, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed Thursday to push forward with reforms in the Palestinian Authority and hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections, as his Fatah party kicked off a three-day conference to elect a new central committee for the first time in a decade.
Addressing the congress, the 90-year-old leader reaffirmed commitment to pledged reforms and readiness for elections, though without a specific timeline. “The Palestinian people are the only people in the world living under occupation. Holding our conference today on our homeland’s soil confirms our determination to continue on the democratic path and open the way for youth and women,” Abbas stated.
The gathering, attended by about 2,580 Fatah members across Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut, faces intense pressure from the U.S., EU, and Arab states over corruption allegations, political stagnation, and eroding legitimacy. Fatah, the PLO’s dominant faction excluding Hamas and Islamic Jihad, grapples with internal divisions and declining popularity since Hamas’s 2006 West Bank gains and Gaza takeover.
Current committee secretary Jibril Rajoub called the event a step to “put the Palestinian house in order” amid existential challenges post-Gaza war, aiming to safeguard statehood aspirations and PLO legitimacy. The conference will elect 18 central committee members and 80 for the revolutionary council, fueling speculation on Abbas’s succession after over two decades in power.
Key contenders include Rajoub and PA deputy Hussein al-Sheikh, while Abbas’s son Yasser, recently named special representative despite living in Canada, seeks a committee spot. Notable absences, like Yasser Arafat’s nephew Nasser al-Qudwa who branded the leadership “illegitimate,” highlight rifts. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged unity and a two-state solution in a video message. Fatah positions itself as a post-war Gaza partner, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out any PA or Hamas role.