Abbas's Empty Promises: A Familiar Pattern Erodes Hope for Palestinian Reform In a move that was as predictable as it was necessary, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was unanimously re elected leader of Fatah at the party's Eighth General Conference in Ramallah.
The conference promised to usher in a new era of reform and elections, but instead reinforced the status quo – a pattern that has become all too familiar for those who have followed the twists and turns of the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
The rhetoric surrounding Abbas's re election was filled with promises of change, but it remains to be seen whether this will translate into actual reform.