[TIME] Tony Karon - Early signs suggest that the Fatah conference will, if anything, weaken Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' ability to follow Washington's script. Since the death of Abbas' predecessor, Yasser Arafat, U.S. peace efforts have relied on the moderate and relatively pliable leader to negotiate a two-state agreement with Israel, but many fear that a candidate backed by Hamas would likely beat Abbas in presidential elections currently scheduled for early next year. Much of the Fatah rank and file and even many in the leadership believe that the only way the movement can be saved is to break with American tutelage and seek to reclaim the mantle of "resistance" from Hamas. The conference will seek to rebrand Fatah with a more radical stance in order to more effectively compete with Hamas.
2009-08-05 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive