Reply #11: this appears to be untrue [View All]

[Aidoneus]

Scam leaflet on mass Fatah resignations reflects troubled group
Flyer blasts leadership for failing to formulate political platform
The lack of known names leads some to question credibility, analysts believe the problems it outlines are real and pressing
Omar Karmi
Special to The Daily Star

RAMALLAH: On Feb. 7, a leaflet was circulated to both Palestinian and international media stating that more than 300 members of the Fatah movement had resigned in despair over their failed attempts at pushing through reforms within the ruling Palestinian faction.

The leaflet, which was widely publicized, criticized the leadership of Fatah for failing to formulate a single political platform, for its lack of strategy vis-a-vis the intifada and for the prevailing corruption in its midst. The statement was unusual for not being signed by leading Fatah members and thus appeared to be a protest by the rank and file.

Yet the lack of known names also led some to question its credibility. As it turned out, a number of the names on the list revealed themselves to be false, or belonging to deceased people or even Hamas members. On Feb. 9, a Fatah member mentioned on the list, Sarhan Dweikat, took out an advertisement on page 3 of Al-Quds newspaper to dissociate himself from the statement.

Yet despite being a scam, the leaflet resonated both within Fatah and the media. Both Fatah members and analysts agreed that regardless of the origin or aim of the leaflet, the problems it outlined were real and pressing ones.

--snip--

http://www.lebanonwire.com/0402/04021021DS.asp