Fatah tightens control as Abbas-aligned figures win key seats in Central Committee
Fatah wrapped up its eighth general conference by electing a new 18-member Central Committee and an accompanying Revolutionary Council, with turnout reported at about 94.6%. The vote consolidates the Ramallah-based establishment, adding Majed Faraj, Yasser Abbas, and Laila Ghannam to top posts, and including Zakaria Zubeidi, a former al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades commander recently released from Israeli custody. The three-day, multi-hub process across Ramallah, Gaza, Beirut, and Cairo underscored the movement’s continued dominance of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO since 1994, while Mahmoud Abbas was re-elected as overall leader.