The Fatah political party, led by Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, is preparing to convene its eighth General Conference on May 14, ten years after the previous conference.
A senior Hamas official told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Hamas welcomes the conference being held in Gaza and will not impose any security restrictions on the movement.
A Fatah source said contacts were held with Egypt and other countries to pressure Hamas not to obstruct preparations for the conference in Gaza, alongside efforts to ensure recent local elections in Deir al-Balah proceeded.
Fatah spokesperson Monther al-Hayek said the movement will provide security for the conference venue in Gaza City, where 600 activists are expected to attend. Parallel meetings of Fatah operatives will be held in Ramallah, Lebanon, and Egypt, with a total of 2,541 participants in the conferences.
During the conference, new leadership will be elected, including 80 members of the Revolutionary Council and 18 members of Fatah’s Central Committee.
The internal Fatah party elections are part of a broader reform plan led by Abbas, which will include a new constitution, local elections, and preparations for general elections. Abbas is seeking, through these reforms, to gain US recognition of a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders.
General elections in the PA were scheduled for 2021, but Abbas officially announced that they would be postponed, likely due to fears that he would those elections to Hamas.
Abbas's term as PA chairman was meant to expire in 2009, but he has remained in office in the absence of elections.