BBC News passes up coverage of recent Fatah congress

With over a week having passed since the 7th Fatah party congress came to a close and no BBC reporting on that subject in the English language having appeared, it is apparent that the corporation does not intend to provide its audiences with information which would enhance their understanding of the chronically under-reported topic of internal Palestinian politics and their broader implications.

BBC audiences hence remain unaware of the fact that convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti received the most votes in the election to the Central Council of the party which dominates the Palestinian Authority as well as the PLO: the body supposed to conduct negotiations with Israel.

“Coming in first place was Marwan Barghouti, held in Israeli prison for murder after orchestrating deadly terror attacks during the Second Intifada, followed by Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA). For months, Rajoub has been seen as the most popular personality in Fatah, after Bargouhti, of course, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Next on the list are Mahmud Eshtawi, Hussein Eshtawi and Muhammed Al-Alul — all of whom are allies of Rajoub.

And that is likely to be the most significant outcome of these elections within the framework of the seventh Fatah Congress – Rajoub’s camp is strengthening and he is the leading candidate for the position of general-secretary of the top decision-making Central Committee, which positions him as number two in the party and a possible successor to Abbas.”WHYS Rajoub tweet

Jibril Rajoub’s long-standing and repeated attempts to delegitimise Israel via various international sports bodies have of course received BBC amplification in the past.

The BBC’s failure to cover the Fatah congress also entrenches its under-reporting of the internal power struggles within Fatah.

“Both Barghouti and Rajoub are considered to be Abbas loyalists. Reuters reports that 16 of the 18 central committee seats contested were won by Abbas allies. Having been unanimously re-elected as Fatah leader earlier during the Congress, Abbas is able to appoint another three members to the committee.

Critics have suggested that Abbas used the Fatah Congress to effectively oust political opponents, especially supporters of Mohammed Dahlan, who headed the Palestinian security forces in Gaza until Hamas forcibly seized power in 2007. Dahlan was expelled from Fatah by Abbas and effectively exiled to Dubai in 2011. His supporters were largely absent from the list of Congress delegates.”

And of course BBC audiences remain unaware of the mood on the Palestinian street.

“The Fatah conference, which ended last weekend, crowned Abbas the unchallenged leader, boosting his ability to deal with the West and Arab states, said pollster Nader Said. For Palestinians, though, it meant prolonging a situation that “most people see as ineffective, unable to bring about a political solution, and corrupt to a large extent,” he said. […]

Dalal Salameh, 50, the second youngest member in the Central Committee and the only woman, said the election reflects the prevailing norms of patriarchy in Palestinian society and that it’s up to the young to push for change. “I see the system responding, but slowly, slowly,” she said.”

With Fatah dominating the PLO and the foreign donor funded Palestinian Authority, its internal politics clearly have implications for what the BBC terms “the Middle East peace process”. BBC audiences, however, continue to be deprived of the information which would enhance their understanding of that particular “international issue“.  

Related Articles:

Abbas’ Fatah reelection ignored by the BBC – in English

BBC News continues to under-report internal Palestinian politics

BBC’s Knell omits back stories in portrayal of PA succession

 

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