Dahlan claims that ill health will stop Abbas being president

Mohammed Dahlan insisted on Wednesday that age and ill health must necessarily prevent Mahmoud Abbas from continuing as the President of the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian MP, who lives in Dubai, made his comments in the context of a discussion about the importance of holding elections for all Palestinian institutions based on a national agreement.

In a public statement, Dahlan stressed that holding the Palestinian presidential and parliamentary elections is the most important and urgent task at hand. “National action,” he said, “needs comprehensive revision and deep changes.” This is essential to rebuild the Palestinian institutions according to the needs of the people.

Commenting on reports that the Palestinian Authority (PA), Fatah and PLO President, Mahmoud Abbas, plans to run for another term as president in any future election, Dahlan said that such a move is intended to reinforce the ongoing Palestinian division. “This is absolutely unacceptable [after] repeated political, national, administrative and financial failures. There must be other options for the great Fatah movement.”

Dahlan was expelled from Fatah after a dispute with one of Abbas’s sons. Since then he has been involved in a group called the Democratic Reformation Current inside Fatah.

Abbas called recently for the Palestinians within the occupied territories to hold a parliamentary election, but Dahlan said that he and his group will only accept this if it is agreed by the Palestinian factions. Hamas has already insisted that the presidential and parliamentary elections must be held together.

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