Mahmoud Abbas Inaugurates Fatah’s Eighth Congress in Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas inaugurated the proceedings of the eighth general congress of the Fatah movement in Ramallah on Thursday, with parallel sessions held simultaneously in the Gaza Strip, Cairo, and Beirut.

WAFA said the three-day congress opened at the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah and brought together about 2,580 delegates spread across four sites, in a context described by the speakers as one of the most critical periods the Palestinian people have endured.

Al Jazeera

Jin Xin, the International Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, said Fatah, under Mahmoud Abbas, continued its efforts to restore the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people and to establish an independent Palestinian state, while calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Wasel Abou Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee, described the congress as a major political milestone taking place as the war continues in Gaza and violence intensifies in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem.

Jam al Zahalka, head of the High Follow-Up Committee for Palestinians of 1948, said the congress was taking place at a moment when Gaza is trying to heal the wounds of a war he described as genocidal, while the West Bank faces an intensification of settlement and daily violence.

Abbas pledged to reform the Palestinian Authority at the Fatah conference and to hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections, while Al Jazeera reported that Fatah kicked off the three-day Eighth General Conference in Ramallah on Thursday to elect a new central committee for the first time in 10 years.

In his address, Abbas said, "We renew our full commitment to continuing work on implementing all the reform measures we pledged," and he also pledged to hold new elections without providing a timeline.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that Abbas was unanimously re-elected as leader of the Fatah movement late on Thursday, and that by extension he would remain head of the central committee.

The Anadolu Ajansı report said delegates backed Mahmoud Abbas’ re-election during the eighth general congress and that Wafa said congress members voted unanimously to elect Abbas as president and commander-in-chief of the movement.

Anadolu Ajansı also described the congress as being held in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, with simultaneous sessions held in Gaza, Egypt and Jordan.

WAFA quoted Abbas saying the convening of the eighth General Conference of the Fatah Movement represents a pivotal milestone for reviewing the Palestinian journey, assessing performance, and developing a comprehensive national vision for the next stage.

In the same WAFA speech, Abbas said, "Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and any transitional arrangements must be temporary," while also calling for enabling the State of Palestine to carry out its responsibilities through its sovereign and service institutions.

WAFA further said Abbas condemned systematic terrorism and widespread settlement expansion in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and called for international accountability measures against the Israeli government and immediate deterrent action.

Al Jazeera framed the conference as taking place as Fatah faces existential challenges in the wake of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, and it reported that Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are under mounting pressure from the United States, the European Union and Arab states to implement reforms and hold elections.

Al Jazeera also reported that key figures competing to replace Abbas include Jibril Rajoub, the committee’s secretary-general, and PA Deputy Hussein al-Sheikh, with Rajoub telling AFP ahead of the congress that the conference could contribute to "ensuring and protecting the establishment of a Palestinian state on the world’s agenda".