FATAH CONGRESS: ELECTIONS PLANNED FOR AUGUST 8

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001377 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR; JOINT STAFF FOR LTGEN SELVA E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG KPAL IS SUBJECT: FATAH CONGRESS: ELECTIONS PLANNED FOR AUGUST 8 Classified By: Deputy Principal Officer Greg Marchese for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary. On the fourth day of the Fatah Congress, a deal to account for absent Gazan delegates in leadership elections collapsed, returning preparations for the Congress' centerpiece event to square one. By the end of the day, a new deal emerged which, if it holds, could allow leadership elections to move ahead on August 8, two days later than originally planned. The focus on election preparations has left little time for delegates to focus on other issues. As a result, the draft political program still has not circulated. End Summary. Deal on Gaza Delegate Quota Collapses, is Resuscitated -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) On day four of the Fatah Congress, formal sessions were suspended to allow the Fatah Central Committee (FCC) and Fatah Revolutionary Council (FRC) to debate a proposed solution to account for absent Gazan delegates in leadership elections. The proposal, which Mohammed Dahlan and Abu Mazen negotiated on August 5, called for establishing an FCC quota for Gaza delegates unable to travel to Bethlehem. An overwhelming majority of FCC and FRC members involved in the negotiation rejected the deal, describing the quota concept as a dangerous precedent. By the end of the day, participants in the discussions told PolSpec a new deal had been reached to allow absent Gaza delegates to vote directly via email, fax, and telephone. Unclear if Elections Will Proceed on August 8 -------------- ¶3. (C) The controversy over Gaza voting delayed preparations for leadership elections once again. Abu Mazen, Abu Maher, and Dahlan failed to meet the 2:00 p.m. registration deadline. By mid-afternoon, delegates said that Dahlan had entered his name as a candidate, and that all three leaders' names are expected to appear on the formal candidate list when it is published at 5:00 p.m. It is uncertain whether elections will proceed as scheduled at 10:00 a.m. on August 8. Elections, Gaza Controversy Distract from Political Program -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) With all the focus on election preparations, other work at the Congress has been delayed. Fatah contacts report that the draft political program has been finished, but not yet shared with delegates. It is not clear whether the draft reflects Abu Mazen's wishes that political committee members endorse his August 4 inaugural speech as the party's official platform, or whether the committee has proposed revisions of its own. WALLES