The Federation of American Scientists’ Project on Government Secrecy has obtained an English translation of the newly revised Fatah charter: OSC Translates the 2009 Fatah Charter.

And there are some interesting changes in the new document; while it still calls for revolution and “struggle,” and refers several times to the “enemy” of the Palestinian people, there is no direct mention at all of Israel, Zionism, or Jews.

The previous version of the Fatah charter explicitly rejected Israel’s right to exist. The question: is the absence of any mention of Israel a sign that the PLO position is softening — or is it evidence of an even more radical rejectionism?

(Hat tip Kobyashi Maru.)

UPDATE at 1/31/10 11:23:49 am:

Barry Rubin throws cold water on the idea that this charter is more “moderate:” Fatah’s New Charter Shows Why Peace Won’t Happen.

Following my article on the new Fatah Charter, I was sent a JTA story about how the new charter is very moderate since it “drops” calls for Israel’s destruction, etc. As I pointed out, the charter says that the old charter is still in force and nothing in the new one contradicts it. So nothing has changed in fact. It is amazing how easy it is for various radical Arab and Islamist groups to fool Western journalists. It always helps to read a document before describing it as a breakthrough for moderation.