BREAKING NEWS

Palestinian Authority President Abbas re-elected to lead Fatah

The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been re-elected to lead Fatah by consensus at the party conference. There was no vote taken because no other Fatah member challenged Abbas' five-year rule of the party. Hundreds of delegates cheered and clapped as Fatah leader Tayib Abdul Rahim announced that Abbas was chosen to lead the party. Abbas, who is backed by the West, now has a strengthened mandate to lead peace talks with Israel, if and when they are revived. Technically Abbas can only lead the party for five years, until a new conference is announced, but this is the first time Fatah members have met in 20 years, so it isn't clear how long his mandate will last.