Word: dahlan
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Often, the ideological intransigence of Hamas is blamed for impeding Palestinian unity. But on Sunday it was the moderate Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas who dealt a potentially debilitating blow to the nascent Palestinian "unity" government - by appointing Mohammed Dahlan, the most divisive figure on the Palestinian political scene today, to the office of National Security Adviser...
...while those differences came as no surprise, Abbas's appointment of Dahlan, akin to throwing a grenade into an already tense room, threatens to shatter even the pretense of cooperation. Hamas immediately labeled the appointment "illegal," and urged Abbas to reconsider. The Palestinian Authority President could not possibly have been unaware of the impact his move would have. Dahlan, 45, currently a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was previously the boss of the Preventative Security office. He has extensive business interests in Gaza, and has been dogged for years by corruption allegations. A native Gazan from Khan Yunis...
...senior Fatah people the wrong way. Afterwards, at a meeting of Fatah's Central Committee, according to a Committee member who was in attendance, Abbas was fiercely criticized for "engaging in a public relations stunt" and accused of "helping [Olmert] without getting anything in return." Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan commands his own following, as does another of Yasir Arafat's ex-capos, Marwan Barghouti, despite being in jail. More recently, another faction, this one led by former Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, has also become more vocal in its opposition to Abbas, worrying that by rubbing shoulders with Olmert...
...More broadly, says Hamas spokesman Hamad, a sense of "internal harmony" must be restored, a nearly impossible task given the lack of trust between parties. Hamas leaders think Fatah officials are too close to the Americans and Israelis. They openly voice suspicions that Mohammed Dahlan, the head of Preventative Security, is working with the U.S. and Israel to topple the Hamas government. Meanwhile, Fatah charges Hamas with taking money and direction from Iran and Syria (where Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Mashal is based). The distrust is endemic. Neither Fatah nor Hamas trusts Israel. Israel trusts neither...
...fortification and rearming of Fatah forces from outside - most graphically visible in the form of four recently arrived armored personnel carriers -is a sign that Abbas and Dahlan are not counting on the Mecca talks succeeding...