Sputnik: Dahlan behind differences between Egypt and Fatah

Mohamed Dahlan, the dismissed member of the Palestinian Fatah movement, is the main reason behind the current estrangement between the movement and a number of Arab states, a source from inside the movement has said, according to the Russian news agency Sputnik.

Dahlan was dismissed from Fatah following investigations that were conducted by the movement in 2011.

Read: PA-Egypt relations are deteriorating, says Fatah official

Fatah held on to its decision to keep Dahlan out of the movement, notwithstanding attempts made by officials from a number of Arab states, especially Egypt, to reinstate Dahlan’s membership. This strained relations between the movement and those Arab states, the source added, according to Sputnik.

However, the issue has not harmed Egypt’s historical role in supporting the Palestinian cause, or the central relations between Cairo and Ramallah, the source added.

The source ruled out the possibility of Dahlan returning to Fatah because the decision to dismiss him was taken by the movement’s central committee  when he was responsible for Gaza’s affairs  in 2007.