In the short term, it strengthened the party chairman and Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas prevented his major rival, Mohammad Dahlan, and his supporters from attending. He was unanimously re-elected, and at least 16 of the 18 seats on the Central Committee also went to Abbas loyalists. Despite expectations, there were no efforts to bring in new blood or name a deputy to succeed the 81-year-old Abbas.
Reactions to an incoming Trump administration in the United States could undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
If the US Embassy relocates to Jerusalem, the Palestinian reaction will be violent.
While the situation remains frozen, both Hamas and Fatah will lose further popular support.
Competition among potential successors to Abbas will intensify.
