Fatah probes Dahlan and Rashid for supplying weapons to Gaddafi

Fatah’s Central Committee announced that it has begun investigating recent reports that two members of the movement’s leadership are involved in smuggling Israeli weapons into Libya to support Mu’ammar Gaddafi’s forces.

In a press release, the Committee stated that the allegations against the two contradict Fatah’s principles of non-interference in the affairs of other Arab states. Libyan opposition figures have alleged that Mohamed Dahlan, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, and Mohamed Rashid (Khaled Salam), a former economic consultant to former Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, are involved in smuggling illegal weapons to Colonel Gaddafi’s forces.

The press release stated that Dahlan’s membership to the Central Committee had already been suspended as he is currently being probed over accusations of involvement in political and organisational violations. With regard to second individual; Khaled Salam, it was claimed that “He has no links whatsoever to the movement [Fatah]’s organisational or national policies”.

Dahlan has denied the accusations that he was involved in the secret deal to supply Gaddafi’s brigades with weaponry supplied by an Israeli company and that he coordinated the deal arranging for a meeting between Seif El Islam Gaddafi and Israeli officials.