The war over Fatah leadership has begun
Former Fatah senior member Mohammed Dahlan has been channeling humanitarian aid funds to the Gaza Strip, thus creating an alliance with the local Hamas leadership.
On the eve of his departure to Ankara on June 24 to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas' political bureau, invited journalists to his hotel in Doha to react to the expected reconciliation agreement between Israel and Turkey. "There is a regional plot to parachute someone from the outside to rule Gaza and Ramallah," he cautioned.
Although he did not name the person he believes is poised to threaten Hamas' rule in Gaza and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' rule in Ramallah, the prevailing belief is that he was alluding to former senior member of Fatah, Mohammed Dahlan. Ever since Avigdor Liberman was appointed Israel's new defense minister on May 30, rumors have been spreading about the intention to "crown" Dahlan as Palestine's next leader.
