GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Fatah Seventh Congress opened Nov. 29 in Ramallah and closed Dec. 4 without discussing the report by the commission of inquiry into the death of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, as some Fatah figures had anticipated.
Fahmi al-Zarir, the spokesman for the congress' preparatory committee, said Nov. 24, “The report by the commission of inquiry into Arafats' death will be discussed during a private session at the Seventh Congress, and it was added to the agenda.” The meeting, however, did not happen, and the final statement of the congress made no reference to Arafat's death.