The Eighth Conference and the Struggle of Fatah Factions

On October 28, 2013, we wrote an article titled: "(The Organization) Fatah and (The Movement) Fatah", in which we elaborated on a serious phenomenon facing the movement, namely the gradual distancing and separation between the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) with its original principles and leaders, on one side, and the current reality of the movement’s organization as institutions and current leaders on the other. The more the movement drifts away from its original principles, the more it distances itself from the masses, after having been called (the mother of the masses).

We had hoped that the leadership of the movement would address the issue and work to bridge the gap between the two sides, but the divide has widened, and the external ideological, political, and financial intervention has increased on the movement as internal disagreements have deepened with discussions about succession after the president, to the extent that the movement nearly lost its role and public presence inside and outside Palestine.

If we look today at the reality of the Fatah movement’s organization, we will find several factions within it:

1. The main faction: Led by President Abu Mazen.

2. The Dhalan/United Arab Emirates Faction.

3. The Hamas/Iran/Ikhwan Faction.

4. The Qatar/Turkey Faction.

5. The Jordan Faction.

These factions do not represent all members of Fatah; the majority still remain loyal to the movement as a liberation idea and strive to revitalize it to reclaim its pioneering role in the Palestinian arena.

The danger of these Fatah factions — except for President Abu Mazen's faction — lies in that at the head of each is a member of the Executive or Central Committee, all competing to manipulate the movement in favor of their respective faction, with some competing for the presidency. This competition is clearly manifested in their intensified efforts to attract supporters and followers for the upcoming eighth conference of the movement in Abzeel, to ensure their continued presence in leadership positions, for whoever leads Fatah also leads the PLO and the official Palestinian context. Sadly, some have gone too far in being outside the Fatah and national ranks.

Thus, if the matter of holding the conference is left to the Central Committee or those they appoint, the majority of the Central Committee members will return, and the conference will fail to revitalize the movement and correct its national course.