Ma'an Hebron – Fateh members fired for running as independents have described the decision as unfair.
Several Fateh leaders and members ran in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections as independent candidates, without official endorsement. President Abbas then dismissed them from the party.
The fired Fateh members nearly unanimously agree that the decision was unjust and say they view Fateh's election failure as that of the Fateh Central Committee.
Fired Fateh member Ibrahim Abu Zuhrah told Ma'an, ‘Absolutely not is the failure of Fateh on our shoulders. Neither Abbas, nor the Central Committee, have the right to fire me after 37 years of Fateh membership. No one has the right to make such an unfair decision. This is for a Fateh court to do, in accordance with internal rules and procedures.’
Another fired Fateh member, Ayman Qawasmeh, reiterated Abu Zuhrah's position. ‘This is not right. It is an attempt by the Fateh Central Committee to find an excuse for its failure. It should carry the burden of responsibility. We will not abandon Fateh.’
Qawasmeh continued, ‘We will not abandon Fateh. Who will decide who stays in Fateh and who goes is the Sixth Conference.’
Fateh's Central Committee responded by saying that this decision was made on 17 November 2005.
Abbas Zaki spoke on behalf of the Committee. ‘It obliged every Fateh member to comply. The decision was clear. Anyone who participated in the elections independently would be fired.’
Zaki continued, ‘We are sorry that we have fired some of our dearest members. We will see what we can do to bring them back in the future.’
Regarding allegations that the Fateh Central Committee should carry the burden of responsibility for Fateh's loss, Zaki replied, ‘This is natural. It is the leadership and should be responsible. We formed a committee under my leadership two days ago to evaluate and study what happened.’
Zaki added, ‘It is a hard job.’