RAMALLAH, West Bank — Fatah’s Central Committee neither selected Marwan Barghouti, who is serving a prison sentence in an Israeli jail, to take up the movement's position of deputy leader nor tasked him with any leadership role during its Feb. 15 session, raising wide controversy among the movement’s leaders and cadres.

Barghouti is an influential Fatah leader and is widely popular among the movement’s youths, given his role in the establishment of Fatah's student wing, the Shabiba movement. He was a leader of the first intifada (1987-1993) and architect of the second intifada (2000-2005). Barghouti is also one of the most prominent candidates to succeed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Central Committee selected Mahmoud al-Aloul as its deputy leader. Aloul, 67, hails from the city of Nablus and is a former commissioner in charge of the committee's organization and mobilization; he is close to Abbas. Jibril Rajoub, a member of the Central Committee and former head of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service, was appointed secretary of the Central Committee. The post of deputy leader and secretary of the Central Committee are the most important positions within the movement, but other committee members were appointed to various positions, too.

The selection process was delayed by two months, due to consultations and internal disputes over the post of deputy leader. The appointments follow Fatah’s 7th congress that was held in Ramallah on Nov. 29, with the election of the members of the Central Committee and Revolutionary Council.