As the supposed reconciliation between Palestinian parties Hamas and Fatah appears to be going nowhere after more than four months, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are encouraging dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan to form a new Palestinian party to challenge President Mahmoud Abbas.

Raising another potential scenario, Dahlan’s representatives met Feb. 28 in Cairo with a Hamas delegation to discuss the possibility of Dahlan getting involved in administering the Gaza Strip. Abbas had assumed that responsibility as part of the reconciliation agreement signed in October, but that process stalled, leaving Gazans in a humanitarian crisis.

Citing anonymous Palestinian sources, the Nabd news agency reported Feb. 5 that Dahlan was asked by the UAE to form a political party dissociated from Fatah, given Abbas’ refusal to end his and Dahlan's dispute, which goes back to 2010. Dahlan lives in exile in the UAE but is still a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The UAE also wants Dahlan to run in the next presidential election.

Although Nabd didn't report Dahlan’s specific response to the UAE request, it said he is reluctant to form a new party. The article said that in January and February, Dahlan held a referendum in Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan, where supporters for his Democratic Reform Current reside, to gauge support for a new party. The referendum produced mixed results.