RAMALLAH, Jul 2 (IPS) – The future of Palestinian unity talks is far more complex than the bitter rivalry, bloodshed and division which represent the yawning chasm separating Palestine’s two main political factions, Hamas and Fatah.

There are serious issues within Fatah that need to be resolved. After two decades of power struggles and acrimony within the organisation, Fatah’s Revolutionary Council has agreed to hold its sixth general conference Aug. 4 in Bethlehem in the Palestinian West Bank. Fatah, founded in 1964, is affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls the West Bank.

The conference, due to be attended by over 1,500 members, is significant in that it is the first to be held on Palestinian territory. Hitherto, Israel banned leaders from returning to the Palestinian territories. The formerly Tunisia- based Palestinian leadership-in-exile held its last conference in Tunis in 1989 following its expulsion from Lebanon.

Of further relevance is the fact that party members have been able to agree who will attend and where the conference will be held. Infighting and disagreement meant Fatah’s factions took 20 years to agree a date and place.

The conference will be an indicator whether the fragmented Fatah is a spent political force and a mere footnote in the history of the Palestinian national liberation struggle. The conference will also lay the groundwork for unity talks with arch-rival Hamas and peace talks with Israel.