Wednesday December 29, 2010

I've Been Thinking:

Once upon a time Mohammed Dahlan was considered the fair haired boy of Fatah - seen as a potential successor to Arafat and Abbas.

Today Dahlan spends most of his time abroad and is being investigated by Abbas and Fatah for financial irregularities and incitement against Abbas. He has called for Abbas' replacement and has said some impolite things about Abbas' son.

At one point Dahlan was expected by Washington be the next Palestinian leader. He was one of President Bill Clinton's absolute favorites among the Arafat team and a regular guest in the West Wing.

Dahlan was the man Washington DC thought could bring order and move the Palestinians to the next stages towards peace and statehood. He was the strong arm of Fatah especially in Gaza and was expected to be the Palestinian connection to the West.

All hopes for Dahlan were dashed in the summer of 2007 when Hamas expelled Fatah from Gaza and he was nowhere to be found. Since then, Dahlan has been a non-entity.

Now the fair haired boy of Fatah is under investigation by Fatah.

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