RAMALLAH, West Bank, 5 March 2005 — Thirty-two local Fatah leaders, constituting the young guard of the dominant Palestinian faction in the West Bank, resigned their posts on Thursday in protest at alleged mismanagement by senior members.
The walkout was cast as a bid to jolt Fatah into reforms needed to maintain its appeal to Palestinians, many of whom have been drawn to the rival Islamist faction Hamas spearheading a more than 4-year-old uprising against Israel.
“Thirty-two young guard leaders from the West Bank have resigned collectively to protest the mismanagement of the movement by the (executive Fatah) Central Committee,” Hussein Al-Sheikh, who was among those who quit, told Reuters.
Hamas did not run in Palestinian presidential elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip last January, making for an easy win by moderate Fatah veteran Mahmoud Abbas. But a strong showing by Hamas in local polls suggests it could enjoy major gains in parliamentary elections set for July.
“The young guard have decided to take the initiative to salvage Fatah,” said another leader in the walkout, Ahmed Ghneim. “Otherwise Hamas will take over in upcoming legislative elections just as it did in the municipal elections in Gaza.”
“This step is not aimed at confronting the old guard, rather it is an attempt to save Fatah from disintegration,” he said. “The old guards have to take responsibility for Fatah’s weakness and failure in the municipal elections,” another Fatah official taking part in the protest said.
Among those who resigned their faction posts were Fatah lawmakers Mohammad Hourani, Qadoura Faris, and Hatem Abdel-Qader, although they kept their Parliament seats. By challenging the Fatah old guard, the rebels aimed to unite the young guards behind Abbas and his efforts to hold together a cease-fire declared last month with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and advance Palestinian statehood hopes.
Senior Fatah officials in the Palestinian Authority said they were unaware of the move and refused comment. While 40-year-old Fatah is respected by most Palestinians as the founding faction of their statehood struggle, it has in recent years fallen from favor amid corruption allegations.
By contrast, Hamas, which seeks Israel’s destruction, is renowned for its transparency and popular for its charities. The last elections for the Fatah leadership were in 1989. Under pressure from young activists who demanded a shake-up, the faction chiefs reluctantly agreed to new elections in August. “We have decided to hold primaries to choose our own candidates to run for the legislative elections,” said Sheikh.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon looked more determined than ever yesterday to end Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip, defying furious opposition within his own Likud party. Newspapers and aides declared Sharon victorious after a rebel vote in his right-wing party for a referendum on the pullout was declared null and void because not enough people turned up for the informal show of hands.
Despite outrage from settlers and ultranationalists, the premier has refused to budge on his plan to recall 8,000 Jewish settlers from Gaza and several hundred from four northern West Bank enclaves, scheduled on begin on July 20. “I will not allow the extremist fringes to dictate their policies to me,” he told the Likud central committee meeting, as rebels called for his resignation.
