Arab states work to reorganise Fatah to run against Hamas in elections

Several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Jordan, are exerting efforts to reorganise the Fatah movement and unite it in order to defeat Hamas in the upcoming elections, Arabi Post reported on Friday.

The Arab states are pressuring Fatah, Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to reinstate dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan and his supporters.

Abbas dismissed Dahlan from the movement in 2011 and stripped him of all his merits, including membership to the Fatah Revolutionary Council and Palestinian parliament.

The sources told Arabi Post that the Arab states are also trying to reinstate Najat Abu Bakr, Naima Al-Sheikh, Adli Sadeq, Tawfiq Abu-Khusa, Majed Abu-Shammalah, Naser Juma’a, Abdel-Hamid Al-Masri, Sufyan Abu-Zaydeh and Rashid Abu Shbak, who were dismissed from Fatah over their relations with Dahlan.

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Meanwhile, the PA and Fatah leaders, including Secretary of Fatah’s Central Committee Jibril Rajoub, will also press Abbas to reconcile with the dismissed Fatah leaders and the Civil Affairs Minister Hussein Al-Sheikh.

Speaking to Arabi Post, member of the Palestinian National Council and the PLO’s Central Council Mamoun Al-Tamimi disclosed that Dahlan is working to reach a deal with the Fatah leader imprisoned by Israel, Marwan Barghouti, to allow him to run for elections.

Al-Tamimi indicated that there are talks with Israel to release Barghouti in return for facilitating the reintegration of Dahlan into the Palestinian Authority.

Following these reports, Abbas reiterated that he would use force against anyone violating the resolutions of the Fatah Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council, and those not committed to the nominations for Fatah’s electoral ticket.