Mohammed Dahlan

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Mohammed Dahlan (محمد دحلان), (Muhammad Dahlan) also known by the kunya or nom de guerre Abu Fadi ^{[1] [2]}, is a Palestinian politician, the leader of Fatah in Gaza. Dahlan was born on September 29, 1961 in Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza to a refugee family from Hamama. In 1981 he helped found the Gaza branch of the Fatah Youth Movement Shabibat Fatah.He was jailed by the Israelis 11 times between 1981 and 1986 for his involvement in the movement. During his time in prison, he learned to speak fluent Hebrew. Throughout his time out of prison, Dahlan was studying a BA in Business Administration at the Islamic University of Gaza.

Political career

Contents 1 First Intifada and Oslo 2 Second Intifada 3 Fatah in Gaza 4 Gaza infighting 5 Criticism 6 Famous Quotes 7 References 8 Sources 9 External links

[edit] First Intifada and Oslo

In 1987 he was a leader of the First Intifada, but was arrested by Israel for this role. After being released he joined the Palestine Liberation Organization in Tunis, orchestrating protests in Israel, where he gained the trust of Yasser Arafat.

In 1993, he was involved in secret talks with Israel which eventually culminated in the Oslo Accords of 1993. For his role in these talks, he was given the position of security chief of the Preventive Security Service (the police force of the newly created Palestinian Authority), enjoying widespread popular support.^[3] In this role, he continued to negotiate in several subsequent talks, such as the Camp David 2000 Summit.

[edit] Second Intifada

Dahlan was one of PA team in 2nd camp david negotiation, in which Yasser Arafat refused any proposal other than a Palestinian satate and its capital is Jerusalem, with a just solution of Palestinian refugees question according to the UN related resolutions. He was one of the Palestinian figures who support that Arafat's satnce, and go ahead with him to the second intifada. After september 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, Dahlan was one of the Palestinian figures who assimilate the change induced, and called Palestinian factions to rethink violent tactics in the light of the deep change in US policy and its implications in the international community, added to the Israeli efforts to make use of that change to win more in the political process in the region. this call was used by his competitors in both, Hamas and Fatah Factions, to target him on the popular arena. So a variety of material can be found in palestinian and ararab sites, even those sites of non-political interest, which tries to destroy Dahlan's popularity. the results of Such cpmpaign was tested for thefirst time in 2006 2nd Palestinian Parliamental Elections, in which he has won with the highest number of votes in Khanyounis Governorate; in which Hamas a distinctive popularity.

In 2001 he upset Arafat by beginning to call for reform in the Palestinian National Authority and expressing dissatisfaction with a lack of coherent policy.^[4][5]

In 2002, he resigned his post as head of the Preventive Security in Gaza in the hope of becoming the Interior Minister; this did not occur, but he was offered a post as security adviser. He did not take this step. In April 2003, he was appointed the Palestinian Minister of State for Security by Mahmoud Abbas, despite the objection of Arafat.^[6] By September he had been ousted when Abbas resigned as Prime Minister, and was replaced first by Hakam Balawi (Oct 2003-Feb 2005) and then Nasser Youssef (Feb 2005-March 2006).^[7]

[edit] Fatah in Gaza

He repeatedly tried to campaign on a reform and anti-corruption ticket and tried to profile himself as an outspoken critic of Yasser Arafat, although many observers dispute his personal integrity. Nevertheless Dahlan and his followers in internal Fatah elections won over most of the Fatah sections in Gaza.^[8][9]

In 2004, Dahlan is assumed to have been the driving force behind week-long unrests in Gaza following the appointment of Yasser Arafat's nephew Mousa Arafat, widely accused of corruption, as head of Gaza police forces.^{[citation needed]} This appointment was considered by some a deliberate step to weaken Dahlan's position before the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza strip and sparked massive protests.^{[citation needed]}

On January 26, 2006, Dahlan was narrowly elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in the Palestinian legislative election of 2006 as a representative for Khan Younis. In January 2007, Dahlan took a tough stance against Hamas.^[10]

On January 7, 2007, Dahlan held the biggest-ever rally of Fatah supporters in the Gaza strip^[11][12]

In March 2007, despite objections from Hamas, Dahlan was appointed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to lead the newly re-established Palestinian National Security Council, which is intended to oversee all security services in the Palestinian territories.^[13][14]

[edit] Gaza infighting

In July 2007, Dahlan resigned from his post as national security adviser.^[15] The resignation was little more than a formality, since Mahmoud Abbas had issued a decree dissolving his national security council immediately after the Hamas takeover of Gaza in mid-June 2007. Dahlan has been blamed by many in Fatah for the rapid collapse of their forces in Gaza in the face of a Hamas offensive that lasted less than a week. During the fighting Dahlan's house on the coast of Gaza, which many locals had seen as a sign of corruption by Fatah, was seized by Hamas militants and subsequently demolished. He and most of the other senior security commanders of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority security forces were not in Gaza during the fighting, leading to charges that their men had been abandoned in the field.^[16]

In the April 2008 edition of Vanity Fair it was revealed that after the 2006 elections Dahlan had been central in a US plot to remove the Hamas-led government from power. The Americans provided money and arms to Dahlan, trained his men and ordered him to carry out a military coup against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, the Hamas government forestalled the move and itself carried out an armed counter-coup.^[17][18]

[edit] Criticism

Other Palestinians have criticized Dahlan. Jibril Rajoub, with whom he cultivated a deep and personal rivalry, claimed for example in 2003 that everybody knew Dahlan was an Israeli agent.^[19][20] He has also been criticized for his good relationship with Arafat's long-time financial adviser Muhammad Rashid and Dahlan's own London-based business.^[21] Dahlan has been alleged to have enriched himself through corruption.^[22]

Others claim that he, for the sake of deterring political rivals and counterweighting the numerous armed militias, maintained in 2003 and 2004 a private army in the Gaza Strip which was trained and equipped by American services.^[23][24]

Dahlan also was under criticism regarding his role in Gaza turmoil, to which he contributed his share, especially in exchanging hostilities with Gazan rival Ghazi Jabali. In 2003, gunmen stormed and raided the offices of the latter's General Security organization (and reportedly went so far as to dunk his head into a toilet several times);^[25] they were said to be followers of Dahlan's ally Rashid Abu Shbak, head of the Preventive Security Service organization^{[citation needed]} (Note that although Dahlan doesn't head this organization any more, he is still widely believed to have great influence on its leadership).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Famous Quotes

• "Snipers or no snipers, let Hamas shoot and kill me, I want to be close to the masses!" [1]
• "Whoever harms [Palestinian] civilians must expect similar responses."

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• Dahlan, Mohammed: European Institute for Research on Mediterranean and Euro-Arab Cooperation
• Profile: Mohammed Dahlan. BBC News/Middle East
• EI: Who is Mohammad Dahlan
• EI: Civil War in Palestine?

[edit] External links

• Muhammad Dahlan Official website