So Fatah has a major convention scheduled for next week but Hamas refuses to allow 400 delegates from Gaza to attend.
A renewed dispute between Fatah and Hamas threatens to derail a major convention of some 2,000 Fatah members, from both the territories and the Diaspora, that is due to be held in Bethlehem next Tuesday: Hamas says that unless those of its members being held in Palestinian Authority prisons in the West Bank are released, it it will not enable around 400 Fatah delegates from the Gaza Strip to attend the convention.
Fatah leaders have threatened Hamas with harsh retaliation, up to and including launching an all-out war against Hamas and its institutions in the West Bank. This would mean rounding up Hamas operatives, which could spark violent confrontations.
That's a touchy situation, and a pretty ironic that Hamas won't let Palestinians out of Gaza.
The Fatah convention (if held) is slated to elect a new central committee and a new revolutionary council.
The older generation that has hitherto dominated Fatah's leadership is widely seen as corrupt, and most of its members live in exile. The convention is expected to replace them with the next generation - the men who led the first intifada and, to some extent, the second one.
These include Dahlan, Rajoub, Hussein Al-Sheikh, Marwan Barghouti and others.
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Despite its war with Hamas, the delegates are expected to reassert that armed struggle is a legitimate form of action against the Israeli occupation. The convention is expected to largely readopt Arafat's "olive branch and rifle" approach, which is similar to Hamas' current modus operandi.
This strategy is not surprising in view of Fatah's competition with Hamas for the heart of the Palestinian public. But public support for armed struggle will bolster the Israeli right's claim that there is no difference between Fatah and Hamas.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
So there's talk that Fatah will reassert it's call for armed struggle against Israel. This apparently will gain the heart and support of the Palestinian public. One hopes that's not the case, but I've read about this elsewhere as well. The new guard in Fatah wants to adopt this sort of rhetoric and strategy. How this meshes with Fayyad's current plan of growing the WB economy and further strenghtening WB security forces currently being trained under US auspices is anyone's guess. Sounds like a split in tactics. It sounds like the new guard in Fatah shares common ground with Hamas.
Of course Fayyad is an independent, tho he wields extensive power because he controls the purse strings and has huge backing from the international community. Fatah members have voiced displeasure with him recently.
So all sorts of currents are running through Palestinian politics at this moment. Let's see what happens wrt this upcoming convention - will it be held, will Hamas accomodate Fatah delegates ?
moon