A reconciliation meeting was held between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah Central Committee member Nasser al-Qudwa, confirmed head of Fatah’s Information Department in the Office of Mobilization and Organization Munir al-Jaghoub on Saturday.
Qudwa, who is also a nephew of former Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) chairman Yasser Arafat, met with Abbas in the presence of a number of members of the Committee, al-Jaghoub said in an official announcement.
The two men, according to al-Jaghoub, agreed on the importance of maintaining unity among the ranks of the Fatah movement, which is also led by Abbas.
“They agreed on unity and commitment to the movement’s decisions,” he said.
Qudwa boycotted a meeting of the Committee, headed by Abbas, amid reports that he was studying the possibility of forming his own list or supporting an unofficial Fatah list in upcoming elections.
Over the last few years, tensions have grown between Abbas and Qudwa, especially after the latter attempted to resign in 2018.
Qudwa’s resignation was turned down and a settlement was reached to keep him in the party.
Abbas and Qudwa have several disagreements concerning Palestinian politics in general and Fatah in particular.
Qudwa, in a virtual seminar held on Thursday, called for a comprehensive overhaul of the Palestinian political system, noting that it was “beyond repair.”
He urged finding a real solution based on the needs of Palestinians and confronting Israeli occupation.
Calling the current political framework unproductive, he blamed internal fighting and worsening relations with Arab states for the dismay of Palestinians today.
“The central goal is to achieve national independence,” Qudwa stressed when addressing the obstacles facing a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Separately, he described the recent understanding between Fatah and Hamas regarding upcoming elections as “a deal to preserve some individual interests at the expense of national interests.”
He vocally rejected this understanding and noted that he refuses to go to elections on a joint list with Hamas.
The parliamentary elections are set for May 22, while presidential polls are scheduled for July 31.
