GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The recent rapprochement between Hamas and dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan and the "Democratic Reformist Current," which Dahlan formed with some Fatah leaders after his dismissal in 2011, was predicted. Dahlan has been repeatedly praising Hamas — most recently during an interview with Dream TV Egypt on Oct. 23 when he implied that rapprochement with Hamas is the solution to all of Gaza’s problems.
In light of the escalating hostilities between the head of Fatah, President Mahmoud Abbas, and his rival Dahlan, the latter began to seek rapprochement with Hamas. First, he started making contact with Hamas in the Gaza Strip in order to implement humanitarian projects in Gaza that he financed, such as collective weddings and taking care of the poor, and he coordinated with Egypt to open the Rafah crossing.
