The Eighth General Conference of Fatah, officially known as the Eighth General Conference of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), opened on 14 May 2026, with the attendance and participation of 2,514 members. The opening date of the conference coincided with the Nakba anniversary, commemorating the founding of Israel in 1948.
The General Conference constitutes the highest legislative and movement authority within Fatah and undertakes the review of the political programme and the basic statutes as well as the election of the leadership bodies. Fatah is the de facto ruling party of Areas A and B in the West Bank. The seventh conference was held in 2016. It aims to renew the leadership structures via elections to the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council.
On 29 April 2026, 2,514 members were approved for participation and the “Direct Link” mechanism was announced to ensure cadre involvement in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Egypt. Mahmoud Abbas was unanimously re-elected Chairman of Fatah, drawing criticism from some due to his low approval ratings.
Results Preliminary results for the elections of the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council members.
Central Committee Candidate Votes Marwan Barghouti 1,893 Majed Faraj 1,884 Jibril Rajoub 1,631 Hussein al-Sheikh 1,586 Laila Ghannam 1,494 Mahmoud Aloul 1,488 Tawfik Tirawi 1,378 Yasser Abbas 1,301 Zakaria Zubeidi 1,231 Taysir al-Bardini 1,225 Ahmad Abu Holi 1,208 Ahmed Helles 1,159 Adnan Ghaith 1,092 Musa Abu Zaid 1,034 Dalal Salama 961 Mohammed al-Madani 947 Mohammad Shtayyeh 912 Iyad Safi 901
See also July 2025 Conference on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution
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