[Ha'aretz] Avi Issacharoff - In the midst of a bloody civil war in Gaza, and persistent threats against him by Hamas, Mohammed Dahlan was all smiles and jokes - and curses - perfectly coiffed, stylishly suited. Few today doubt the identity of the strongest man in Fatah - and Abbas' heir apparent. On Sunday he headed the biggest rally in the history of Fatah in Gaza, where he taunted Hamas: "Please, shoot me." Dahlan says the Palestinian security organizations are at the height of a process of change: retiring officers over 60, uniting the forces into three branches: national security (the army), internal security (police), and preventive security (intelligence). With the backing of Abbas, the young commanders previously sidelined by the older leadership have been appointed as grassroots leaders. Q: How will the war [with Hamas] end? Dahlan: "It is not a war. It is an attack by Hamas on Fatah....In the end we will have to go forward together. But to do this we must make sure Fatah is strong enough. And the rally, from my point of view, was just the beginning. We proved to Hamas that Gaza is not theirs." Q: What would you expect from Israel? How should it help? Dahlan: "Stay away from us. You don't help, you only do damage. Every time somebody on your side talks about 'helping Abbas,' they hurt him....At the moment, I am interested only in rehabilitating Fatah."
2007-01-10 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive