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Son of Palestinian President Elected to Fatah Central Committee
Yasser Abbas, son of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, won a seat on Fatah's central committee during the movement's first congress in a decade. The three-day gathering in Ramallah ended Sunday with several incumbents retaining leadership posts.
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Yasser Abbas, 64, a businessman who spends most of his time in Canada, secured a seat on Fatah's central committee on Sunday. The result came as initial tallies were released from the movement's Eighth General Conference, its first congress in ten years. The gathering opened Thursday in Ramallah and concluded Sunday.
Barghouti, held in an Israeli prison since 2002, received the highest number of votes and kept his seat. Jibril Rajoub was re-elected secretary-general, a post he has held since 2017. Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al-Sheikh also retained his position on the committee.
Zakaria Zubeidi, 50, a former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades freed last year in a prisoner exchange, was among the newcomers elected.
6 percent.
Fifty-nine candidates competed for 18 central committee seats, while 450 candidates sought 80 seats on the revolutionary council. Counting for the revolutionary council remained under way, with final results expected Monday.
Abbas was re-elected head of Fatah on Thursday. In his opening address he pledged to reform the Palestinian Authority and hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has linked reforms to any future role for the authority in post-war Gaza.
" — Ali Jarbawi, political science professor at Birzeit University, May 17, 2026 (Al Jazeera) Ali Jarbawi said Mahmoud Abbas remained firmly in control and that the congress had not clarified who would succeed the 90-year-old leader.
