Fatah prepares for 6th General Assembly

Fatah prepares for 6th General Assembly The Jerusalem Post, By Khaled Abu Toameh (4/8/2009)

Fatah is scheduled to launch its sixth General Assembly in Bethlehem on Tuesday, amid growing skepticism that the faction will succeed in implementing major reforms or endorsing a more moderate attitude toward the conflict with Israel.

The conference, which is supposed to bring together more than 2,000 delegates, is the first since 1989...

Many Fatah officials said on Monday that they would strongly oppose any attempt to drop the armed struggle option from the faction's political program that was endorsed in 1989.

According to a draft of the proposed political program that was leaked to the Palestinian media on Monday, the Fatah leadership plans to replace the term "armed struggle" with "resistance."

The new program would state that while Fatah supports the peace process with Israel, it maintains the right to continue the "resistance" to achieve the goals of the Palestinians.