Fatah Postpones Elections, but Extends Conference
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - August 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Amid stormy meetings and acrimonious disagreements over voting procedures, leaders of Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian nationalist movement, postponed elections for its decision-making bodies that were scheduled for Thursday. They said the landmark party conference taking place here would go on for at least two more days.

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Abbas Tries to Fix Palestinian Side Of Peace Puzzle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
June 10, 2009 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas chairs talks in Jordan on Thursday with factions of Fatah, seeking agreement to hold the first congress in 20 years of the fractured, weakened movement dominating Palestinian politics. Fatah needs to restore unity to overturn its shock 2006 election defeat by Islamist rival Hamas, and to ensure Abbas is firmly in the driver's seat for peace talks with Israel, which U.S. President Barack Obama wants to resume without delay.

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Palestinians Try to Prune Branches of Core Party
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - (Analysis) May 20, 2009 - 12:00am

There is the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council, the Old Guard and the Young Guard. There are the insiders, the outsiders, the cell leaders, branch chiefs and district heads. And there is the Office of Mobilization and Discipline, also known as the Office of Indoctrination. Fatah, the core of the Palestinian national movement for five decades, has the organizational transparency of a Soviet republic and was long run like one by its founder, Yasir Arafat. Talk of reform arose after his death five years ago and again when Hamas defeated it in legislative elections in 2006.

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Vote Fatah (or Hamas)
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Khalil Shikaki - (Opinion) May 20, 2009 - 12:00am

THE performance of the Palestinian Authority during the past 17 months has been impressive. It has managed against the odds to restore order in the West Bank to a degree not seen in many years. And it has confronted and disarmed nationalist and Islamist groups. Corruption is also not as rampant as it was a few years ago.

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Hamas, Fatah object as Abbas swears in new cabinet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 19, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a replacement caretaker government on Tuesday evening, with Salam Fayyad to stay on as prime minister. The parliament bloc of Abbas' own Fatah movement said it would refuse to support the new government, though two Fatah-lawmakers were sworn in Tuesday. Two other Fatah-affiliated lawmakers tapped for the new government, Rabiha Diab and Issa Qaraqe refused Abbas offer to join the government. Fatah Deputy Ashraf Jum'a confirmed his party would boycott Fayyad's government because it was “formed in an illegal way,” and without consulting Fatah.

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Fear causes Abbas to delay new gov't
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - May 15, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was forced this week to postpone the formation of a new government after members of his ruling Fatah faction threatened to openly revolt against him. Abbas is also facing fierce opposition from many Fatah members over his decision to convene the faction's long-awaited sixth "general conference" in the West Bank on July 1. Abbas's critics say that holding the parley in the West Bank would mean hundreds of Fatah members living in various Arab countries would not be able to attend the crucial meeting because of Israeli security restrictions.

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Fatah unrest scraps new gov't plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The swearing-in ceremony for the new Palestinian government headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad scheduled to take place on Tuesday has been postponed by several days due to widespread objection within Fatah regarding its makeup. Fatah is demanding control over the appointment of its members to the cabinet rather than the current arrangement, which grants Fayyad sole power.

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Fatah's congress could breathe new life into the movement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Hossam Ezzedine - (Opinion) May 12, 2009 - 12:00am

Fatah leaders and outside observers believe that holding the movement's sixth General Congress could breathe new life into the party by electing new, young leaders and adopting a political platform better suited to the current Palestinian situation. This in turn would strengthen its stance in confronting Hamas, which has dealt two painful blows to Fatah: winning legislative elections (74 seats versus Fatah's 45) in 2006 and taking control of Gaza after fierce fighting in 2007.

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Fatah is turning into a footnote
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ben White - (Opinion) April 28, 2009 - 12:00am

The future of Fatah is up in the air. Internal divisions and a confused political programme – problems that arguably date back decades – have led this historic Palestinian party to a moment of truth. It is no exaggeration to say that the crisis is of sufficient proportions that Fatah's continued existence as a political force to be reckoned with is under threat.

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Hope fades for accord between rival Palestinian factions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Omar Karmi - April 8, 2009 - 12:00am

The Egyptian-mediated Palestinian reconciliation efforts are stuck and prospects for agreement appear distant, even if factions are scheduled to resume their negotiations in Cairo this month, according to sources close to the negotiations.

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