Dahlan supporters attack Fatah spokesman

Supporters of the former Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan attacked Fatah spokesman Ahmed Assaf after he refuted accusations by Dahlan against Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas on an Egyptian TV channel, Quds Press news agency reported.

Assaf, who is now in Cairo, is due to be interviewed by a number of Egyptian media outlets in an attempt to counter Dahlan’s accusations.

Several days ago, Dahlan appeared on the screen of the Egyptian TV Dream 2 and accused Abbas of a number of illegal activities including stealing donations intended for the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA).

Quds Press sources said Assaf was hit repeatedly; both he and his attackers were captured by police and taken to a police station.

Earlier this week, Assaf had eggs hurled at him as he entered the office of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper; it is unknown who the attackers were however they are thought to be Dahlan supporters.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian TV channel cancelled a scheduled interview with Assaf. The interview was arranged by the Palestinian embassy in Cairo.

Fatah, PLO and PA leader Abbas has previously launched a defamation campaign against Dahlan, who was accused of exploiting relations with the UAE and other countries in order to replace Abbas.