The first congress in 20 years of the dominant Palestinian party that would seal a future peace pact with Israel struggled Friday to adopt the reforms it needs to restore the faith of voters. The Fatah movement is plagued by internal splits compounded by a feud with its Hamas. The congress in Bethlehem, its first since 1989, was supposed to launch changes by injecting new blood into Fatah's executive ranks and establishing greater transparency. Instead, it has exposed acrimonious divisions which, on top of the crippling split between Fatah and Hamas, stand in the way of Palestinian hopes of an end to Israeli occupation and the creation of a Palestinian homeland. “Every Palestinian is keen to see an end to this. It is, I think, one of the darkest chapters in the Palestinian struggle ever,” said Sabry Saydam, vice-president of the congress and an adviser to Abbas. “We call on all the Arabs to save us from this disaster we are living,” said Saad Areefi in the Gaza Strip, the enclave now ruled by Hamas alone, but blockaded by Israel. “Punish those who don't want to end the split.” The West Bank and Gaza, separated by Israeli territory, would together form a future Palestinian state in a peace deal with Israel – except they are now governed by two rivals whose mutual hostility seems irrepressible. Hamas prevented over 300 Fatah members from leaving Gaza to attend the convention, in a bid to derail the proceedings. The tactic created headaches for three days. But Friday a message from 299 Gaza delegates to the 2,300 in Bethlehem said they would vote by phone or email if necessary to play their part in choosing the two main party executive bodies. There was no indication if Hamas would try to prevent them. Because of its anti-peace stance, Hamas will have no obvious part in a peace plan that US President Barack Obama is expected to launch.
