Factionalisation from Below: The Case of Palestinian Fatah

ABSTRACT This article examines the role of junior cadres in rebel group fragmentation. I argue that in a centralised rebel group factions will emerge when leaders block junior cadres’ access to senior decision-making bodies. Junior cadres who want to influence the organisation’s politics therefore face a choice between remaining within the rebel group and exiting it. Factionalising is a way to redress grievances by aggrieved junior cadres who deem peaceful mechanisms for upward mobility ineffective. Using original datasets and personal interviews, I find strong evidence supporting my argument in the case of Palestinian Fatah.