Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority since 2005, is backing his son Yasser Abbas for a senior leadership role within Fatah, the ruling party [1]. On May 14, 2026, Fatah held a party congress to elect a new Central Committee, where Yasser Abbas, 64, sought a seat on the party’s top leadership body [1].
Without the support of his father, who is 90 years old, Yasser Abbas would have little chance of securing a position on the Central Committee, according to analysts [1]. Mahmoud Abbas has maintained tight control over Palestinian politics and has canceled elections since his presidential term technically ended in 2009, keeping himself in power [1]. "We’re dealing with the rule of an individual. He is in control of everything," said Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Masri [1].
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank, with Fatah as its dominant political force [1]. At the start of the congress, Mahmoud Abbas emphasized Fatah’s role as the backbone of the Palestinian national project amid ongoing turbulence in Gaza and the West Bank [1].
The May 14 congress represented an important moment for the party as it sought to choose new leadership amid growing internal and external pressures. Yasser Abbas’s bid for a committee seat highlights efforts to keep leadership within the Abbas family network as the current generation ages.
Fatah’s Central Committee elections are widely seen as a key step in determining the party’s future direction and leadership hierarchy. The party’s next major events or decisions will likely hinge on the outcomes of this vote and subsequent leadership consolidation [1].
