CAIRO — The Democratic Reformist Current, a Fatah current formed in opposition to President Mahmoud Abbas’ policies, held a youth conference in Cairo on Feb. 15-16 under the title “Palestinian youth drawing future map."

Around 500 young Palestinians and leaders from the current came from Egypt, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Europe to discuss the issues facing the Palestinian youth in general and address the youth's political and social participation.

Ibrahim Arafat, a member of the conference’s preparatory committee who came from Gaza, told Al-Monitor that the conference aimed to convey several messages, notably highlighting the role of Palestinian youth in society as well as the role of the reformist current within Fatah.

He said, “First of all, the youth are the backbone of our society and they are strongly making their way in. Second, we will disregard all those who leave us and welcome all those who approach us. [Dismissed Fatah leader] Mohammed Dahlan is the one who sought us and supported us. We believe this conference to be a fundamental step in attracting all segments within Fatah, by organizing future conferences for women and workers. We are currently working on prioritizing our objectives, strategies and visions for these conferences.”