Is rapprochement underway between Palestinian rivals Dahlan, Hamas?
Palestinians are divided over the motives behind recent coordination between Hamas and dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan.
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.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, Abdul Hamid al-Masri, a Fatah leader and member of Dahlan’s current, denied any rapprochement between Dahlan and Hamas, saying, “There are talks about how to manage the citizen’s affairs and coordinate in some humanitarian projects brought by Dahlan to Gaza in order for Hamas not to impede their implementation. But this coordination has always existed between the two.”
He stressed that channels of communication between Dahlan’s current and Hamas are open, noting that it all falls within the framework of implementing relief projects. “If there were a full coordination, we would not be ashamed to advertise it as long as it falls under national relations and serves the interests of citizens. However, there is no normalization of relations,” he said.
