GAZA CITY, March 14 (IslamOnline.net) – Hamas’s landmark decision to take part in the Palestinian legislative election will boost increasing demands within the mainstream Fatah movement to accelerate internal reforms to contain poor popularity ratings, a Palestinian political analyst said on Monday, March 14.

“Some Fatah leaders are strongly pushing for much-need reforms to save the day in view of the expected cut-throat legislative competition,” Asharm Al-Ajrami told IslamOnline.net.

“Given its interest in reinforcing Palestinian unity at this time, and the strong building of Palestinian institutions and achievements of real comprehensive national reform, Hamas has taken the decision to participate in the elections,” Mohammad Ghazal, a Hamas leader, told a press conference on Saturday, March 12.

Al-Ajrami said the decision has placed Fatah between a rock and a hard place.

“The move has left Fatah members wondering: are they really capable of countering the soaring popularity of heavyweight Hamas? And can they re-organize their ranks and expedite the reform pace?”

Pro-reform Fatah members press for fighting corruption, enhancing democracy, empowering the young faces -- who accuse the old guard of marginalization – and ending the chaos that swept through the movement’s armed wing.

Some 30 gunmen, firing in the air, gate crashed a meeting of senior Fatah members on Thursday, 10, and drove the participants out.

Armed Fatah members storm a meeting by the movement’s old guard. (Reuters)

The Fatah rift has caused its leader, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a headache as he tries his best to make all factions act in concert.

Many of Fatah's younger generation resigned their posts last week to protest foot-dragging on reform, which is needed to preserve its appeal to ordinary Palestinians.

Some 250 young cadres tendered their resignations to Abbas in protest at the deteriorating conditions of their movement.

“The members of Fatah’s Central Committee are to blame for impeding the reform process as they set the stage for the movement’s sixth congress,” Ajrami said.

Well-placed Fatah sources told IOL that the members of the Central Committee are being pressured to make some substantial changes to the running of the movement.

But Mohammad Al-Horani, a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, played down division reports, saying the coming congress would iron our all differences.

“Fatah members are holding marathon talks to solidify the movement’s structure,” he told IOL.

Fatah was humiliated by a strong Hamas showing in recent municipal elections in the Gaza Strip, with Hamas securing 77 of the total 118 seats up for grasp, while Fatah got a meager 26.