Dahlan: ‘Palestine needs an elected leader’

Dismissed Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan, who resides in the United Arab Emirates and serves Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed, asserted on Friday that Palestinians need an elected leader.

Dahlan commented on remarks made by US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman who announced that the US is considering replacing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas with Dahlan.

“The leader who is not elected by his people cannot lead,” Dahlan posted on his Facebook page. “The one who is not elected by his people cannot lead or achieve national independence,” he added.

He continued:

I am Muhammed Dahlan. I believe that Palestine is in urgent need for renewal of legitimacy for its leaders and institutions, and this will not be achieved except through comprehensive, transparent, and national elections.

Dahlan emphasised: “The one who is able to impose his will on us has not yet been born.”

READ: Muhammad Dahlan is main beneficiary of UAE-Israel deal

Meanwhile, he described Friedman’s remarks as: “A deceitful tactic aiming to terrorise people and destabilise the internal front. I wish that all of us will not be trapped by this precisely engineered tactic.”

He called for working to achieve unity among the Palestinians, to agree on national principles, and on the means to achieve them.

After much controversy, Friedman clarified that his remakes were misquoted by Israel Hayom.