Fatah Congress Ends: Few Changes as Abbas Tightens Grip on Power
Nour Odeh
Palestine's Fatah movement ended its 8th congress with leadership elections that reinforced President Mahmoud Abbas’s grip on power. His son Yasser Abbas won a Central Committee seat despite never having a leadership role, while half of the veteran leaders were replaced.
Palestine's Fatah movement concluded its 8th General Congress last weekend, but results of the elections for the leadership bodies — the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council — were only announced on Monday afternoon. The delay forced election committee chairman Wael Lafi to defend the process.
Even before the congress, questions about membership, finances, and political direction overshadowed preparations.
Sixty candidates contested 18 seats on the Central Committee, the highest leadership body. Mahmoud Abbas, 91, was unanimously elected as chairman of the presidium, signaling the election outcome and his consolidation of power.
Dr. Nasser al-Qudwa, the only member to boycott the congress, said: “Mahmoud Abbas staged this meeting to produce the results he wanted, and he succeeded.” Many Fatah members agreed.
The election results showed that half of the veteran leaders were replaced. From Gaza, only Ahmed Hilles, a close Abbas ally, retained his seat.
Among the winners was intelligence chief Majed Faraj, seen as a rival to Hussein al-Sheikh, whom Abbas appointed vice president a year ago.
Another sign of Abbas’s control was that his son, Yasser Abbas, was nominated and won a Central Committee seat despite never holding any leadership position in Fatah. This overshadowed Fatah's claim that the congress was a sign of democratic vitality and inclusiveness.
Three seats were reserved for Palestinian prisoners; Marwan Barghouti — detained by Israel for more than 20 years — won the highest number of votes. Zakariya al-Zubaidi, a prominent figure who escaped from Gilboa prison in 2021, also won a seat.
Fatah and Hamas are the two main Palestinian political factions; Hamas controls Gaza and Fatah holds the West Bank.
A Victory for Abbas?
450 members competed for 80 seats on the Revolutionary Council, Fatah's legislative body. However, the winners were mainly internal officials.
For the first time, the Central Committee has no representative of Fatah outside Palestine, a precedent seen as worrying for a movement with broad support in the diaspora.
Instead, the new Central Committee includes many technical experts and senior officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA), such as Ramallah Governor Laila Ghannam or Human Resources Committee head Musa Abu Zaid. An unnamed Fatah official remarked: “They are not leaders; they are employees. They will follow orders.”
Dr. al-Qudwa said the result was a victory for the president, not for Fatah: “President Abbas is the biggest winner. He has completely subjugated Fatah to his will.”
Most winners are current or former PA employees, especially in the security sector. Many belong to a younger generation, but they rose through the Fatah youth movement. Some children of former leaders, like Dalal Erekat (daughter of late chief negotiator Saeb Erekat), were elected without a history of activism within the movement.
Facing Crises
Kifah Harb, a prominent Fatah figure who did not win a seat, acknowledged members had concerns about the congress organizing committee, but called for unity: “As congress members, whatever the outcome, we must support and help Fatah move forward to lead the Palestinian national movement. There is no alternative.”
The Fatah congress was closely watched by world governments and the Palestinian public. Western governments have been demanding reform in exchange for increased support to the PA.
Fatah leaders said the congress demonstrated commitment to reform, pointing to personnel changes and the emergence of a younger generation, even as power remains in Abbas’s hands. Whether this satisfies the international community is another matter, and Fatah will struggle to convince the Palestinian public.
The new Fatah leaders face chronic crises: the PA’s inability to pay civil servants, hostile Israeli policies (such as withholding tax revenues, land seizures, settler attacks), and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
On Monday, after announcing the results, Fatah issued general policy guidelines but offered no specific solutions. The movement must face the future and public pressure to hold presidential and legislative elections — one of many challenges awaiting Fatah’s reformed leadership.
