Fatah leaders Hakam Bal’awi and Nasser Yousef brawled on Monday in Jordan as the two attended a planning meeting ahead of the Sixth Fatah conference, sources inside the movement said.When the barest suggestion of change causes old time Fatah members to freak out, what does that say about the possibility that they could ever compromise with their enemy?
A heated argument nearly came to blows during a late afternoon session of the planning committee, which has been preparing for a party conference set to re-think the structure and purpose of Fatah. As a result of the argument meetings for the conference were postponed.
According to insiders the fight broke out when Bal’awi suggested younger generations of Fatah members join the conference to ensure fresh ideas at the conference. Yousef categorically rejected the idea saying the meeting, which could have participants in the hundreds of thousands, in favor of keeping the meeting to the central leaders of the party.
Keep in mind that when Fatah says "younger generations" they are referring to the leaders of the intifada - of 1988.