Fatah congress re-elects Abbas as party's chairman

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech during the opening session of Fatah Party's congress in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Nov 29, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

RAMALLAH -- The 1,400-member congress of Fatah Party held in the West Bank city of Ramallah re-elected on Tuesday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as the chairman of the group.

The five-day congress, kicking off Tuesday morning, will elect a new leadership, a central committee and a revolutionary council, in addition to re-electing Abbas as the chairman.

"Today we meet to write a new chapter in the procession of our pioneer movement. We are meeting today with all those who were involved in the battle of defending the Palestinian revolution," Abbas told the congress, right after he was re-elected.

According to Abbas, 60 delegations from 28 countries are also participating in the seventh Fatah congress, where 1,320 members out of 1,411 have arrived.

Earlier on Tuesday, Fatah officials said 75 members from the Gaza Strip were unable to attend the congress after they were denied permission to cross from Gaza to the West Bank through Israel.

It is the second congress of Fatah party that is held in the Palestinian territories since the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994. The first congress was held in Bethlehem in 2009.