Will top Palestinian official's resignation crack Fatah unity?
Top Fatah official Nasser al-Qudwa submitted his resignation from the Fatah Central Committee in protest against the results of events at the Palestinian National Council meeting April 30-May 3.
One of the first cracks in the unity of the leading PLO faction appears to have surfaced with Nasser al-Qudwa’s May 6 resignation from the powerful Fatah Central Committee.
Qudwa, a former foreign minister and longtime PLO envoy to the United Nations, had been seen by some as a possible successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. However, Qudwa was not selected to the PLO’s Executive Committee on the last day of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) meeting on May 3.
Qudwa’s resignation caught many off guard and was rejected by the Fatah Central Committee. In a May 7 press statement, Mahmoud Alloul, the deputy head of Fatah, said that after consultation with Abbas, the Central Committee had decided to reject Qudwa’s resignation.
Secretary of Fatah's Central Committee Jibril Rajoub argued that the reasons behind Qudwa’s resignation must not be neglected, promising it will be discussed in the next meeting of the committee scheduled after Abbas’ return from his tour to Latin America.
