Fatah annoyed by UAE adoption of Mohamed Dahlan

Informed Palestinian sources claim that disgraced Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan was seen accompanying the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates when the coup leader Abdul-Fattah Al-Sisi was sworn in as president of Egypt last week. Dahlan was also seen sitting with a number of pro-coup journalists such as Wa’el Al-Ibrashi and Abdul-Latif Minawi at the hotel where the Emirati Prince stayed during his visit to Cairo.

Dahlan fled from Gaza to the West Bank in the wake of the Hamas government taking control of security in mid-2007. A few months later, his arguments with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas surfaced and, as a result, he was dismissed from Fatah. Although he remained a member of the Palestinian parliament, Dahlan went to Abu Dhabi and was welcomed by its government, which assigned him as a security aide to its Crown Prince. Later on, he was commissioned to set up a London-based and anti-Muslim Brotherhood TV station.

Fatah sources reported on Sunday that Dahlan was trawling around Cairo in a diplomatic car belonging to the UAE embassy with, it is claimed, apparent diplomatic status. The sources said that this is an “unacceptable” message from the UAE to the Palestinian Authority and Fatah Movement.

It was also reported that senior Fatah officials have asked Abbas to start a media and political war against the UAE because of its stance regarding Dahlan. Abbas has rejected the proposal, noting that this would harm Palestinian interests if the UAE halts support to Palestinians through the Arab League.