Central Committee of Fatah
Encyclopedia
The Fatah Central Committee is the highest decision-making body of the Palestinian
organization and political party, Fatah
.
, Khalil al-Wazir, Salah Khalaf
, and Khaled al-Hassan
. Arafat and al-Wazir, who lobbied for increased personal responsibility, primarily faced opposition from al-Hassan who opposed premature military action against Israel
which the former two advocated.
The establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) in 1964 severely undermined Fatah, with 80% of its members joining the PLO's armed wing, the Palestinian Liberation Army
. With this, Arafat and al-Wazir convinced the central committee to allow military operations. As a result, al-Assifa
was formed as Fatah's armed wing, but Arafat's rival Abu Youssef was appointed its leader. In 1965, Arafat was chosen to replace him, but eventually began facing opposition from the central committee. Al-Hassan led the committee to cut funds to al-Assifa in an attempt to reduce its operations, but Arafat decided to relocate to Damascus
, Syria
where he received financial aid from Palestinians working abroad.
In the 1989 Fatah Conference, 18 Fatah members were elected to the committee, with Arafat as the secretary-general. Following Arafat's signing of the Oslo Accords
in 1993, only half of the central committee became leading members in the newly-established Palestinian National Authority
. The rest of the committee either resigned or became inactive. Although now he had overwhelming support from the central committee, Arafat decided to restructure it to further strengthen his authority in the Palestinian territories
. He convened a conference in Gaza
in October 1995, in which he added to the committee "insiders" Zakaria al-Agha
and Faisal Husseini
. In November, the committee set up councils to organize campaigns for the Palestinian Legislative Council
(PLC) elections and threatened to expel any Fatah member who ran as an independent.
Elections for the central committee were held on July 8, 2009, with 96 candidates competing for spots. Mahmoud Abbas was elected as chairman, and an additional three seats were added to the committee.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
organization and political party, Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
.
History
The first Fatah Central Committee was formed in February 1963, consisting of ten members, including Yasser ArafatYasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
, Khalil al-Wazir, Salah Khalaf
Salah Khalaf
Salah Mesbah Khalaf , also known as Abu Iyad was deputy chief and head of intelligence for the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the second most senior official of Fatah after Yasser Arafat....
, and Khaled al-Hassan
Khaled al-Hassan
Khaled al-Hassan also known as Abu Said was an early adviser of Yasser Arafat, PLO leader and a founder of the Palestinian political and militant organization Fatah. Khaled is the older brother of Hani al-Hassan.-Early life:...
. Arafat and al-Wazir, who lobbied for increased personal responsibility, primarily faced opposition from al-Hassan who opposed premature military action against Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
which the former two advocated.
The establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
(PLO) in 1964 severely undermined Fatah, with 80% of its members joining the PLO's armed wing, the Palestinian Liberation Army
Palestinian Liberation Army
The Palestine Liberation Army was ostensibly set up as the military wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization at the 1964 Arab League summit , with the mission of fighting Israel...
. With this, Arafat and al-Wazir convinced the central committee to allow military operations. As a result, al-Assifa
Al-Assifa
Al-`Asifah was the mainstream armed wing of the Palestinian political party and militant group Fatah.It was established in 1964 to protect the political wing of Fatah from reprisals. Its first attempted raid occurred on March 31, 1964, but was hindered because the fighters were detained by the...
was formed as Fatah's armed wing, but Arafat's rival Abu Youssef was appointed its leader. In 1965, Arafat was chosen to replace him, but eventually began facing opposition from the central committee. Al-Hassan led the committee to cut funds to al-Assifa in an attempt to reduce its operations, but Arafat decided to relocate to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
where he received financial aid from Palestinians working abroad.
In the 1989 Fatah Conference, 18 Fatah members were elected to the committee, with Arafat as the secretary-general. Following Arafat's signing of the Oslo Accords
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
in 1993, only half of the central committee became leading members in the newly-established Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
. The rest of the committee either resigned or became inactive. Although now he had overwhelming support from the central committee, Arafat decided to restructure it to further strengthen his authority in the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
. He convened a conference in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
in October 1995, in which he added to the committee "insiders" Zakaria al-Agha
Zakaria al-Agha
Zakaria al-Agha also known as Abu Ammar is a member of Fatah's central committee and Palestine Liberation Organization-Executive Committee and the leader of Fatah in Gaza Strip.-Biography:...
and Faisal Husseini
Faisal Husseini
Faisal Abdel Qader Al-Husseini was a Palestinian politician who was considered a possible future leader of the Palestinian people....
. In November, the committee set up councils to organize campaigns for the Palestinian Legislative Council
Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...
(PLC) elections and threatened to expel any Fatah member who ran as an independent.
Elections for the central committee were held on July 8, 2009, with 96 candidates competing for spots. Mahmoud Abbas was elected as chairman, and an additional three seats were added to the committee.
Current members
The current twenty members of the Central Committee were elected during the Fatah 6th General Conference.- Mahmoud AbbasMahmoud AbbasMahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
- Abu Maher GhneimAbu Maher GhneimMuhammad "Abu Maher" Ghneim is a Palestinian politician and a senior Fatah official, being a member of the organization's central committee.-Biography:...
- Mahmoud al-AloulMahmoud AloulMahmoud al-Aloul is the governor of the Palestinian Authority's Nablus governorate in the Central Highlands of the West Bank. He was elected to the Fatah Central Committee in August 2009....
- Marwan BarghoutiMarwan BarghoutiMarwan Hasib Ibrahim Barghouti is a Palestinian political figure. He is regarded as a leader of the First and Second Intifadas. Barghouti at one time supported the peace process, but later became disillusioned, and after 2000 went on to become the main figure behind the Al-Aqsa Intifada in the...
- Nasser al-QidwaNasser al-QudwaNasser al-Qudwa whose full name is Sayed Nasser Arafat al-Qudwa from the Arafat al-Qudwa who are a family of notables from Gaza and of the Ashraf class. Nasser is a Palestinian diplomat and was the Permanent Observer from the Palestinian National Authority for the United Nations...
- Salim Za'noun
- Jibril RajoubJibril RajoubJibril Rajoub is a Palestinian political figure. He was the head of the Preventive Security Force in the West Bank until being dismissed in 2002. He was elected to the Fatah Central Committee at the party's 2009 congress...
- Tawfiq Tirawi
- Saeb ErekatSaeb ErekatSaeb Muhammad Salih Erekat Saeb Muhammad Salih Erekat Saeb Muhammad Salih Erekat (also Erakat; Ṣāʼib ʻUrayqāt or ʻRēqāt, born April 28, 1955 in Jordanian controlled East Jerusalem was the Palestinian chief of the PLO Steering and Monitoring Committee until 12 February 2011...
- Uthman Abu Gharbiah
- Mohammad Shtayyeh
- Mohammed DahlanMohammed DahlanMohammed Dahlan born on September 29, 1961 in Khan Younis Refugee Camp, Khan Younis, Gaza Strip also known by the kunya or nom de guerre Abu Fadi is a Palestinian politician, the former leader of Fatah in Gaza...
- Mohammed Madani
- Jamal Muheisen
- Hussein Sheikh
- Azzam al-AhmadAzzam al-AhmadAzzam al-Ahmad . He also received a BA in Economics from Baghdad University. Head of the General Union of Palestinian Students in Iraq from 1971-4; deputy head of GUPS Executive Committee from 1974–80; Palestine Liberation Organization ambassador to Iraq from 1979-94...
- Sultan Abul Einein
- Tayyeb Abdul Rahim
- Abbas ZakiAbbas ZakiAbbas Zaki is the former representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Lebanon and a member of Fatah's central committee.On November 7, 2008 Zaki called the United States "an enemy country"....
- Nabil ShaathNabil ShaathNabil Shaath is a senior Palestinian official who has held the following titles:*Palestinian chief negotiator*Palestinian cabinet minister*Palestinian International Co-operation Minister*Planning Minister for the Palestinian National Authority...