VZCZCXRO0846
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #0675/01 1081507
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 171507Z APR 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1231
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JERUSALEM 000675 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR IPA AND FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KWBG IS KDEM
SUBJECT: BARGHUTHI LETTER URGES WIDER REPRESENTATION AT 
PLANNED SIXTH FATAH CONFERENCE, EXPANSION OF FACTION 
GOVERNING COUNCILS 
 
REF: A. JERUSALEM 553 
 
     ¶B. JERUSALEM 353 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary.  Para. 2 contains the text of a letter from 
jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghuthi to President Mahmud 
Abbas (Abu Mazen) and the Fatah Central Committee (FCC) 
regarding the planned Sixth Fatah Congress (discussed 
reftels).  Associates of Barghuthi released the letter, which 
was signed March 17, to Palestinian press, which carried it 
April 17.  The letter calls for inclusion of a more diverse 
array of Fatah members at the Congress (particularly 
increasing representation of youth, women and prisoners) and 
expansion of the Fatah Central Committee (FCC) and Fatah 
Revolutionary Council (FRC).  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) Begin text. 
 
From my cell, I greet and address all of you male and female 
strugglers of Fatah, and the great and steadfast Palestinian 
people in the homeland and the Diaspora. I also greet the 
martyrs of our people first and foremost, the late leader 
President Yasser Arafat, all of the wounded and the 
prisoners. I address this brief letter to you hoping that it 
will contribute to the success of the Sixth Congress which 
has been long overdue for nearly two decades. Those two 
decades witnessed many Arab and international developments. 
Like the overwhelming majority of Fatah members, I believe 
that delaying the Congress was a main reason for the major 
setbacks and the chaos that has been prevailing within the 
movement. Holding the Congress therefore will be a 
significant event in the history of the national liberation 
movement. Two years ago the movement faced an unprecedented 
challenge, i.e. defeat in the PLC elections, the collapse of 
the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip, and the Hamas 
takeover. Holding a successful Congress in the current phase 
is a sacred Fatah and a patriotic mission that should not be 
therefore subject to personal interests or selfish, factional 
or tribal calculations. I hereby urge all Fatah members to 
exert their utmost efforts and to work diligently to 
accomplish this sacred mission to hold the Congress and 
ensure that it will succeed. 
 
Mr. President, brothers and sisters, 
 
While being concerned with the interests of the movement and 
the success of the intended Congress, I hereby lay out these 
recommendations and suggestions hoping that these will be 
taken into account when composing and endorsing the mechanism 
of determining membership and participation in the Sixth 
Congress. 
 
First I would like to bring to your attention the following 
remarks: 
 
1-    Tens of thousands of new members have joined Fatah 
since the 5th congress in 1989 and the faction,s students, 
social, and cultural memberships have greatly expanded. 
Thousands of these new members deserve to be part of the 
Sixth Congress since they never had the chance to do so in 
the past. 
 
2-    Since (1989), four congresses were supposed to have 
been held where thousands of members would have participated. 
As the 5th congress held in Tunis in 1989 included 1,200 
members, the next congress would have included at least 2,000 
members. This means the total members participating in the 
four congresses would have reached at least 15,000 members 
assuming natural, continuous increase in the faction. This 
should therefore be taken into consideration in determining 
the composition for the forthcoming Congress. 
 
3-    If the congresses were held regularly, there would have 
been four central committees and revolutionary councils 
elected in the past two decades in addition to several 
hundreds of participants in the two structures. 
 
4-    It should be noted that the Fatah,s cadres inside 
Palestine were not able to participate in any congress since 
the foundation of the movement in 1965. It would have been 
much easier if the congresses had taken place on a regular 
basis. 
 
5-    Since the foundation, the congress never took place in 
the homeland; now it is time to hold it in Palestine for 
practical and symbolic reasons. It is important to remember 
that two PLO National Council sessions were held in Palestine 
in 1996 and 1998, in addition to holding two PLC and 
Presidential elections. 
 
JERUSALEM 00000675  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
6-    The Palestinian National Authority was established and 
led by Fatah; this has affected the moement's structure. 
Many Fatah members left for jbs with the PA. We should note 
here that the movment has shouldered responsibilities in new 
sectrs. 
 
7-    Holding the Congress while applying te old charter of 
the movement and ignoring developments of the past two 
decades will have tragic consequences. Therefore, it would be 
wise to take into account these important developments. 
 
8-    We need to look for the best formula that would 
guarantee the largest and widest participation for those who 
deserve it, no matter the total number of Congress members. I 
also urge you to consider holding the Congress in 3 venues 
(the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Diaspora) in order to allow 
all cadres who have the right to participate to take part in 
this Congress. 
 
9-    If the 3 venues suggestion is not deemed a good idea, 
or has already been ruled out, it would be very important to 
hold the Congress with at least 3,000 participants in order 
to meet minimum participation of the cadres. The success of 
the Congress would be measured on the level of participation 
of the largest segments and sectors of the movement. 
 
10-   It is imperative to represent all the regions and 
districts through elected committees, and all the members of 
the former committees, which led the factional work for years. 
 
11-   We should have the widest representation for the youth 
sector through the members of Fatah Youth leadership and 
cadres throughout the governorates, the homeland leadership, 
and the leadership of each governorate in addition to the 
youth leadership in the universities and institutions, etc. 
 
12-   It is essential to guarantee that Fatah women's 
representation in the Congress composes least 20 percent of 
the total number. This participation should include different 
sectors. 
 
13-   All Fatah former and present PLC members should be 
represented at the Congress without exception. 
 
14-   We should have all Fatah representatives in the 
municipalities and village councils included, especially 
those who have popularity and play a role in managing matters 
in the local Palestinian society. 
 
15-   We should ensure a wide representation of professional 
syndicates especially doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc., in 
addition to Fatah representatives in the current and former 
unions at the national, local, and governorate levels. 
 
16-   We should have a wide participation of professors, 
teachers, media people, Fatah members in charitable 
organizations, NGOs, etc. 
 
17-   We should have all freed prisoners who spent more than 
10 years in the Israeli jails represented in the Congress and 
also have all deportees, especially those of the Nativity 
Church, as members in the Congress. 
 
18-   We should represent the nearly 6,000 Fatah prisoners in 
Israeli jails including 200 old prisoners who have spent more 
than ten years inside prison so far. We will communicate in 
order to reach a suitable formula for this representation. 
 
19-    We should have representatives from the movement's 
national assembly for martyrs, sons and the other 
institutions which care for martyrs, families. 
 
20-   It is very important to have representatives from all 
the sectors mentioned above in order to unify the movement. 
This will facilitate the process of holding the congress. 
 
To guarantee the widest participation in decisionmaking, it 
is essential to study the possibility of expanding the 
membership of the Fatah Central Committee (FCC) from 21 up to 
31 or at least 27 members. The same would apply to the Fatah 
Revolutionary Council (FRC), where a membership of at least 
250 should be considered instead of 120 as present. Expanding 
the FRC is an important step to follow up and determine Fatah 
candidates in municipal and legislative elections and those 
who would be ministers in governments, etc.  Women should 
also be represented in the FCC by no less than 20 percent of 
the total membership. 
 
JERUSALEM 00000675  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
Lastly, it is crucial for the FCC to hold meetings with the 
cadres, representatives from all sectors, and the factional 
offices in the districts and in the refugee camps in order to 
explain the duties of the preparatory committee and listen to 
their remarks. These meetings would also allow a more 
extensive and comprehensive internal dialogue. 
 
Leader and Brother Abu Mazen, 
Sisters and brother in the FCC; 
Sisters and brothers in the Sixth Congress Preparatory 
Committee 
 
Real and serious preparation is the main condition for the 
success of the Congress. The FCC, FRC and the other 
structures of the movement ought to work full-time to bring 
about a successful outcome for this event. It is also 
imperative to engage women, youth, unions and other 
structures of the movement in the preparations and soliciting 
their opinions while going ahead with preparations. It is 
important to have real preparations and go to the Congress 
unified, and have women, men, homeland members, and these in 
the Diaspora all as partners. This is an historic 
responsibility on all of us to bring Fatah in these troubled 
times to the safe seashore. Fatah is the hope of our people 
in freedom, return, independence, democracy, and justice 
 
Marwan Barghuthi 
Hadarim prison 
 
End Text. 
WALLES