The Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began its second day of deliberations Wednesday - ahead of a crucial election of the organization's decision-makers for the coming years. More than 2,000 Fatah delegates have gathered in the West Bank city of Bethlehem for the movement's first party conference in 20 years, according to a report of the German News Agency "DPA". Congress officials are expected Wednesday to tally the official number of delegates attending, ahead of the voting Thursday of the party's two main decision-making bodies - the 21-member Central Committee and the 120-member Revolutionary Council. Delegates are also due to adopt a revised platform before the start of the voting Thursday, which some participants say is expected to call for "peaceful popular resistance" against Israel. In a two-hour address at the opening session Tuesday, Abbas told delegates that while he insisted on his choice for peace negotiations, the Palestinians reserved their legitimate right to "resistance." Meanwhile, Current Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Shaath said that Fatah members from Gaza would be allowed to vote by telephone, email or any other technological means. "We reached an agreement last night to enable Gaza congress members to join the voting process," he told reporters.
