Dahlan Says Elections Can End Palestinian Infighting

Wednesday January 10, 2007 14:22 by Rami Al-Meghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Senior Fatah leader Mohammad Dahlan

Palestinian former minister and Fatah front man said that the only way out of underway Fatah-Hamas infighting is the early elections called on by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last month.

Speaking to Israeli Daily Haaretz, Dahlan was quoted “from our perspective, the solution is a democratic one; elections”.  

Dahlan referred to the largest Fatah rally in Gaza few days ago, saying that such a large demonstration proved to Hamas that Gaza is not theirs, a thing that Fatah has been working on for months.  

Asked whether he has been put in charge of President Abbas’ security forces, the Palestinian leader answered he does not have such a position, though he welcomed it if he is asked to do so.  

He maintained that all Palestinian security bodies are now going through a drastic rehabilitation process, pointing out that so far 60 officers have retired and that these forces have been unified into three major apparatuses; the national security (the army), the internal security (the police) and the preventive security (intelligence).

Regarding prospects of Israeli assistance for Palestinians to end ongoing intra Palestinian differences, Dahlan told Haaretz “Stay away from us. You don’t help, you only damage. When you say you are helping Abbas, you just hurt him."

The Fatah senior leader, who has been accused by Hamas of orchestrating a coup against a Hamas-led government, stressed he is now focusing on rehabilitating his movement.
 

Fatah-Hamas infighting has been heightened since President Mahmoud Abbas called in December2006 for early presidential and legislative elections, after collapse of national unity government talks as well as the increase of internal violence that claimed lives of more that 320 Palestinians including women and children.

palestine | palestinian politics | news report rami at imemc dot org