GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The seventh Fatah conference, to be held Nov. 29, is drawing the attention of the movement itself and of the Palestinian street in light of the division and internal conflicts plaguing Fatah. Fatah’s internal division reached its peak in the past few months when on Sept. 28 Fatah head Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Fatah leaders and cadres on charges of delinquency and on Oct. 25 withheld the salaries of others based on the same charges.

The announcement of the conference, in which 1,300 Fatah leaders and cadres are expected to participate, comes after a two-year delay caused by internal disputes and incomplete preparations. In this context, Article 43 of Fatah’s statutes stipulates, “The Central Committee calls for a regular session [of the general conference] once every five years. This session can be postponed by force majeure, following a decision by the Revolutionary Council.”

The importance of the conference lies in the fact that it represents the highest legislative authority in the movement, as it passes laws, regulations, rules and political programs, and it discusses past decisions and reports issued by the Central Committee. Also, the conference elects the members of Fatah’s executive bodies, including the Revolutionary Council. The Revolutionary Council monitors the decisions issued by the general conference and the work of the movement’s bodies, as well as discusses the decisions and work of the Central Committee. The Revolutionary Council thus constitutes a link between the general conference and the Central Committee, whose members are also elected by the conference. The Central Committee, for its part, is considered the highest executive authority within the Fatah movement.

A small number of people were invited to attend the upcoming conference compared to past ones, as the sixth conference was held in Bethlehem in August 2009 with the participation of 2,355 people. About the reasons for this low number, Fatah sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Nov. 3 that most of the 1,300 people who were invited to the conference are expected to adopt Abbas’ positions during the conference, which would keep any coalition made up of Mohammed Dahlan supporters from emerging during the conference’s sessions.