Abbas addressed the conference and said that "Fatah is here to stay until it achieves its goals of liberation, independence and the establishment of the sovereign independent state."
Fatah was the dominating party in Palestine until Hamas arose as a resistance movement against Israeli occupation in 1987. In 2007, a deadly conflict between Fatah and Hamas led to the split of the Palestinian Authority and the latter taking over the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity, and builds settlements on the occupied areas, despite objections from the United Nations.
