U.S. Journalist uncovers Bush plan to undermine Hamas

David Rose, a U.S. journalist with the magazine Vanity Fair, has revealed documents and sources showing that the Bush administration has engaged in a plot to undermine and overthrow the democratically-elected government of the Palestinian people.

After the Hamas Islamic movement won the Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006, the U.S. and Israeli government immediately announced that they would not recognize the government formed by the Hamas party, as both the U.S. and Israel consider Hamas to be a “terrorist” entity.

 

But new revelations brought out by the Vanity Fair report show that Bush and his colleagues did more than simply refuse to recognize the Hamas government – that the Bush administration actively engaged in arming and funding the main rival to the Hamas party: Fateh, and building up an armed force to attempt to topple the elected government.

 

Among the documents released by journalist David Rose is a video that was found in a Fatah security building by Hamas fighters last June. In that video, Hamas prisoners are beaten and brutalized by Fateh captors.  Among the degredations they are forced to undergo, the prisoners are forced to chant, “By blood, by soul, we sacrifice ourselves for Muhammad Dahlan! Long live Muhammad Dahlan!”.

 

Dahlan is a key leader of the Fateh movement in Gaza.  He recently served as national-security adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (also with the Fateh party), and has spent more than a decade battling Hamas.

 

According to Rose, “Bush has met Dahlan on at least three occasions. After talks at the White House in July 2003, Bush publicly praised Dahlan as ‘a good, solid leader.’ In private, say multiple Israeli and American officials, the U.S. president described him as ‘our guy.’”  In addition, writes Rose, “Dahlan worked closely with the F.B.I. and the C.I.A., and he developed a warm relationship with Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, a Clinton appointee who stayed on under Bush until July 2004. ‘He’s simply a great and fair man,’ Dahlan says. ‘I’m still in touch with him from time to time.’”

 

Dahlan has stated publicly that the Bush administration pushed the Palestinian government to hold elections in January 2006, even though he warned them that Fateh was not ready, and would not defeat Hamas if they decided to run.  So when the Hamas party did run, and did win, it was not a big surprise to Dahlan or the Palestinians.

 

But instead of accepting the results of the election they had encouraged, the Bush administration took matters into their own hands, and began funding Fateh militia groups under the command of Dahlan.

 

Rose quotes Dahlan himself, as well as a number of top U.S. officials who confirm that the U.S. contributed substantially to the “dirty war” that erupted between Fateh and Hamas in 2006, and lasted well into 2007, costing hundreds of lives.