After a long week of internal controversies, the Fatah Congress came to a conclusion in Bethlehem with the election results for the powerful central committee showing a few signs of progress.
The highlight of the meeting was that younger Fatah leaders gained powerful posts, including the influential jailed leader Marwan Barghouti. Mohammad Dahlan, a controversial figure in the Gaza Strip also won - no surprises there. Ahmad Qurei, the first Palestinian prime minister, was among the veterans who lost their seats, signalling that many within Fatah are invested in taking a new direction.
In recent years, Fatah has been faced with a great challenge of not being able to connect with the young Palestinian population and its main task will be to prove to Palestinians that it will overcome its internal divisions, both old and new. Palestinians also seek answers to corruption allegations and Fatah has not addressed those yet.
Unless serious changes are made, the chances are that Palestinians will find it difficult to recognise Fatah as the most influential political party and this will be reflected in the next elections, slated for 2010 - but unlikely without a reconciliation agreement. The onus is on the new leaders to come up with a credible plan for unity with Hamas and in dealing with Israel, which continues to get away with its colonialist policies in the Occupied Territories.
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