RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian officials say the Fatah movement of the Western-backed president has set Aug. 4 as the date for a long-awaited gathering to pick a new leadership.
The Palestinian Revolutionary Council last convened in 1989. Younger members of the movement, long headed by Yasser Arafat, have been pressing for a meeting to choose a new leadership. Veteran leaders have been resisting the move.
The meeting will be in Bethlehem.
Fatah controls the West Bank government, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas. The Islamic militant Hamas overran Gaza two years ago, expelling Fatah forces. Hamas won the last Palestinian election, in 2006. Many voters cited corruption in the leadership of Fatah as a reason for voting for its Islamic rivals.
