Leaked recording reveals Egypt’s support for Dahlan

Mekameleen TV has aired a leaked recording of a telephone conversation between former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan and the head of Egypt’s intelligence services in which the latter can be heard mocking Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Major General Wael Al-Safti can be heard saying of Abbas: “He has nothing to offer, nothing at all… He is not smart at all.”

Dahlan cannot be heard speaking in the recording which is seen to be the official Egyptian stance on the Palestinian leadership.

It is thought this will hinder Egypt’s position as mediator between the different Palestinian factions which include talks with Abbas and his Fatah movement.

“Fatah is totally screwed,” Al-Safti can be heard saying. “The [Palestinian Liberation] Organisation is even more screwed.”

This is the latest in a series of leaks which have caused the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi disrupt. In February 2015 a leaked audio recording of a conversation between Al-Sisi and Dahlan appeared to show the role the latter was playing in the conflict in Libya.

Another recording aired in the same month showed Al-Sisi discussing the case of missing funds from the Central bank of Egypt.