Middle East Monitor / March 9, 2021
Fatah’s Central Committee has conducted series of meetings with Naser al-Qidwa, a cousin of the late Yasser Arafat, in an effort to persuade him not to stand as a candidate for parliament on a separate electoral list, Al-Quds al-Arabi reported on Monday. He is said to be undecided on the matter.
At the same time, the committee has intensified its contacts with Marwan Barghouti and revealed that Fatah officials might visit him in the Israel prison where he is serving a life sentence. Again, the effort is to seek agreement on a united candidate list for the movement. Central Committee member Hatem Abdul Qader is close to Barghouti and hinted recently that he might agree to stand on the main Fatah list.
Fatah, said Al-Quds al-Arabi, could lose the election without a united list, as the vote could be split. A detailed report will be sent to Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas before further discussion by the Central Committee.
According to the Secretary of the committee, Jibril Rajoub, Al-Qidwa is still a member, and dialogue with him is ongoing. “Al-Qidwa made a mistake by trying to reform the movement from outside after failing to reform it from inside,” he insisted while stressing that reforming Fatah from outside is “impossible”.
Meanwhile, Fatah officials revealed that Al-Qidwa might be expelled from the movement if he continues to work against its interests.
