Some US, Israeli, Arab officials support idea of Mohammed Dahlan governing Gaza: Report claims
Gaza (Quda News Network)- Officials from the US, Israel and certain Arab states support the idea of Mohammed Dahlan, a former senior Fatah member, governing Gaza after the war as part of a “day after plan,” according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The pro-Israel conservative WSJ did not cite its sources for these claims.
However, the report suggests that negotiators view Dahlan as a “temporary solution” for post-war Gaza’s leadership. They consider him a suitable figure for managing security in the region, acceptable to Israel, Hamas and foreign powers, including the US and Arab Gulf states.
The news outlet cites Israeli political analysts saying that he is a figure Israel could work with, and quotes “Arab and Hamas officials” saying that Dahlan has been holding conversations with Hamas and Fatah over potentially overseeing aid distribution in a future Palestinian-run Gaza.
According to an option currently under consideration, Dahlan would oversee a Palestinian security force of 2,500 men working in coordination with an international force, as Israeli forces pull out, Arab officials told the Journal.
“The Palestinian forces would be vetted by the U.S., Israel and Egypt and wouldn’t have clear loyalties to the Palestinian Authority, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want in control of Gaza,” the officials said.
In February, Dahlan told the New York Times that an independent Palestinian leader backed by Arab peacekeepers could oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
“No Abbas, no Hamas. New people in charge of the Palestinian Authority,” he told The New York Times.
In 2007, the Bush administration funded Dahlan with money and weapons in an attempt to overthrow Hamas. The plan failed, and Dahlan fled the territory.
He has been living in luxury in the United Arab Emirates for the past 10 years and has extensive business dealings, including in Serbia.
A 2008 Vanity Fair article on Dahlan’s attempt to take over the Gaza Strip stated: “There is no one more hated amongst Hamas members than Muhammad Dahlan, long Fatah’s resident strongman in Gaza.”
US President George W. Bush once described Dahlan as “our guy”.
