Mahmoud Abbas Remains Leader of Fatah Movement

Members of the Fatah movement on Tuesday re-elected Mahmoud Abbas as the leader of the movement at its first congress since 2009. According to AFP, Mahmoud Abu al-Haj, a spokesman for Fatah, stated that Mahmoud Abbas was unanimously re-elected as the leader of the movement at the meeting in Ramallah, attended by approximately 1,400 representatives of Fatah. During the five-day congress in Ramallah, members of the Fatah parliament and its central committee will be elected. AFP reports that the composition of the parliament and central committee will determine the future path of Fatah, while internal disputes and the declining popularity of Mahmoud Abbas have weakened his position as the leader of Fatah. According to the report, some analysts believe that the 81-year-old Mahmoud Abbas's move to hold the Ramallah congress is aimed at sidelining opponents, including Mohammad Dahlan, who is currently in exile in the UAE. Observers have noted that the decrease in voters from 2,000 members in 2009 to around 1,400 members in 2016 could be a sign of the elimination of supporters of Mohammad Dahlan. Dmitry Dilan, an elected member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah (Fatah parliament) in 2009, told AFP that he and dozens of Fatah members were not invited to the Ramallah meeting because they held a 'different' opinion. He added that the press conference on Tuesday was canceled due to threats from security forces against those who were not invited to the Ramallah congress. Jibril Rajoub, a former security commander and member of the Fatah Central Committee, acknowledged in an interview with AFP that opponents were not invited to the Ramallah meeting. He added that the priority was to hold the congress. Jibril Rajoub emphasized the need to change the structure of the Fatah movement, stating that the structure from the 1960s is no longer effective in 2016. This is the seventh congress of Fatah since the establishment of the movement. The last time Fatah held its congress was in 2009. The Fatah movement was founded 57 years ago in the autumn by Yasser Arafat (Abu Ammar) and Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad) and has been the most important Palestinian movement for decades. Fatah is the main faction in the confederation of Palestinian parties known as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).