Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged on Thursday to advance reforms within the Palestinian Authority and expressed readiness to hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections. The announcement came as his Fatah party convened a three-day conference in Ramallah to elect a new central committee, the movement's highest leadership body, for the first time in a decade.

The 90-year-old veteran leader emphasized the significance of holding the conference on Palestinian soil, describing it as a demonstration of commitment to democratic progress and inclusivity, particularly toward youth and women. While Abbas reaffirmed a full commitment to implementing promised reforms, he did not provide a specific timeline for the upcoming elections.

The conference, attended by approximately 2,580 Fatah members with some delegates joining from Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut, also seeks to elect 18 representatives to the central committee and 80 to the movement’s revolutionary council. Late Thursday, Abbas was unanimously re-elected as leader of Fatah, securing his continued leadership of the party’s central committee.

Jibril Rajoub, secretary-general of Fatah’s executive committee, acknowledged that the Palestinian national movement is contending with some of its “most serious challenges” amid the ongoing Israeli occupation and the aftermath of the recent Gaza war. He expressed hope that the conference would help “put the Palestinian house in order” and reinforce efforts to establish a Palestinian state while safeguarding the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

However, the party faces significant pressures internally and externally. Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have been urged by international actors, including the United States, the European Union, and Arab states, to implement reforms and conduct elections amid growing accusations of corruption, political stagnation, and waning legitimacy among Palestinians.

Fatah’s influence has diminished in recent years due to internal divisions and public frustration over stalled peace efforts with Israel. This erosion has contributed to increased support for rival group Hamas, which secured a decisive victory in the 2006 legislative elections and effectively expelled Fatah from the Gaza Strip following violent clashes.

Hani al-Masri, director of the Palestinian Centre for Policy Research and Strategic Studies (Masarat), suggested that Fatah now primarily uses the PLO to maintain its legitimacy, which he contends is weakening due to the absence of a unified national project, elections, and broad consensus.

With uncertainty about his succession—key contenders include Rajoub and PA Deputy Hussein al-Sheikh—Abbas’s renewed leadership underscores ongoing questions about Fatah’s future direction. Observers note that the outcome of the conference and any forthcoming elections will be critical in shaping the political landscape of Palestinian governance and the broader national movement.