News Analysis: Deep internal rifts behind postponing of PNC meeting

Postponing a meeting of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), scheduled on Sept. 14-15, brought to surface the deep conflicts in the internal Palestinian politics, analysts said.

The meeting was set to elect members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee after more than half of the committee members, including President Mahmoud Abbas himself, resigned last month.

Last Wednesday, PNC Speaker Salim Zanoun formally announced the postponement, saying that it was important to give space to other Palestinian factions to participate in this "responsibility."

He said that talks would continue to prepare for an ordinary session within the next three months.

The call for the PNC meeting to convene for an ordinary session for the first time in 19 years triggered a storm of negative responses from critics who deemed the move as a threat to the national unity.

Hani Al-Masri, head of Masarat Center for Policy Research & Strategic Studies, was one of the initiators of a petition to delay the "hasty" meeting.

Around 1,000 national figures have signed the petition that calls for an inclusive preparatory committee that brings together all Palestinian factions.

The petitioners said that holding the meeting without a national consensus jeopardizes the legitimacy of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).

Al-Masri argued that this will turn the PLO from being the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people to a body run by one group only, referring to the ruling Fatah Party led by Abbas.

"This fragmentation would weaken a key entity that Palestinians fought for years to achieve," he told Xinhua.

The initiative is believed to be one of the reasons behind the PNC's decision to choose another date for the meeting.

"The petition was a strong shout against the deterioration of the situation and the intensifying of the Palestinian split," Al-Masri told Xinhua.

Islamic Hamas movement, the Islamic Jihad and left-wing Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) called for boycotting the meeting, deeming it a unilateral move by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah Party. Critics argued that Abbas was maneuvering to empower allies and oust opponents.

"Holding a session without key forces like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and many other PNC members who refused organizing a hasty PNC meeting is dangerous," Al-Masri explained.

Writer and columnist Jehad Harb believed that the conflicts within the Fatah Party was another key element in the postponement.

Local media reported that Fatah had internal disputes on choosing the party's representatives for the PLO executive committee, leading Fatah Central Committee to recommend the delay for internal processes.

The regional situation, that placed Palestine on the back burner of the international priority, has also played a role in the delay.

Arabic and international parties feared that the internal Palestinian split would have negative consequences on the ground and lead to a collapse.

So they advised against holding the meeting because they thought it would lead to chaos and disorder. The last thing this war-torn region wants is a chaotic situation in Palestine," Al-Masri said.

Politicians and activists praised a usually-absent popular participation in the Palestinian politics that has not seen elections for over a decade. However, it remains uncertain whether these figures will be able to push for holding a session soon.

The PNC, or Palestinians parliament in exile, is responsible for setting PLO's policies and its role is seen important amid the current political deadlock.

"From our experience in the Palestinian politics, dates are not sacred. Zanoun talked about setting a suitable date but didn't specify it," Harb said, underestimating that the meetings will be held soon. He added that he does not expect a change had the deliberations of the preparatory meetings did not include all factions.

President Abbas did not comment on the delay and observers believed he is focusing on the international arena after failed attempts to organize the internal situation.

Abbas is to hold a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington to discuss the future of the peace process, as part of Abbas' participation in the UN's General Assembly annual meetings at the end of the month. Endit