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major.tom
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Joined: 21 Jan 2007
Location: BC, Canada
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 Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:54 pm Post subject: Fatah Congress |
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There have been a smattering of articles in the major press (BBC, Guardian, CBC, CTV) related to the on-going Fatah Congress taking place this week in Bethlehem. One lightly-reported twist relates to the efforts of the younger (40-50 year-old) members to wrest control from the "old guard" (Abbas and his inner circle). There was one article on BBC that appeared briefly on the Middle East homepage and quickly disappeared. I was able to find it and a single other article recounting the same exchange using google.
source: Fatah extends stormy conference
(The interesting bit.)
| Quote: | Another row also broke out on Tuesday when another delegate, Hossam Khader, who has been critical of corruption among Fatah leaders, challenged Mr Abbas to provide a detailed report about the Central Committee's activities in the 20 years since the last conference.
Mr Abbas reportedly told him his lengthy opening speech on Tuesday should suffice and ordered him to sit down. |
Another more detailed account from Fatah delegates accuse leadership of corruption:
| Quote: | One of the delegates, Hussan Khader, who was sentenced to five years in an Israeli prison, rose to demand a detailed report by Fatah's top decision-making body, the Central Committee, of its activities since the last conference 20 years ago, particularly its expenditures. He, like many other younger Fatah members, have accused the “old guard” of the Fatah leadership of building luxurious villas for themselves with foreign aid money and of ensuring that relatives received remunerative appointments.
President Abbas, himself a prominent member of the old guard, replied that his lengthy opening statement to the conference should suffice as an overview of the Central Committee’s activities over the past two decades. Khader told reporters afterwards that he had objected and that Abbas had ordered him to sit down. “He said, ‘either you stop or leave’.” |
It's puzzling why open challenges to Abbas' authority (and lack of accountability) by his fellow Fatah members received such little attention. Doesn't this have a bearing on the legitimacy of his leadership? |
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major.tom
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Joined: 21 Jan 2007
Location: BC, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 10:28 pm Post subject: Abbas (reportedly) re-elected leader |
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from Abbas re-elected Fatah leader:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was reelected as the leader of the Fatah movement Saturday.
The Fatah congress, which has convened in West Bank city of Bethlehem, elected Abbas – who was the only candidate bidding for office – unanimously.
Unanimously? According to Hamas slams Abbas' reelection to Fatah leadership:
Sixty-five of over 2,000 delegates to the sixth Fatah congress opposed the motion to elect Abbas, the Palestinian president and current party leader, as head of the mainstay political movement.
Granted, 65/2000 isn't a large contingent, but it's a far cry from "unanimous". |
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faceless
admin
Joined: 25 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 10:59 pm Post subject: |
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| It sounds similar to how the leaders of the Green Revolution are treated in the Western media - without any criticism at all. The greater goal of teaching them a-rabs how to be democratic seems more important than piffling matters of utter corruption... |
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