In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Mohammed Dahlan speaks about the stalled reconciliation efforts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and recent developments in Hamas. Dahlan, who spoke from Cairo, is a senior Fatah leader, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), former member of the Fatah Central Committee, former head of the Preventive Security Service and a staunch opponent of Abbas.
The dispute between the two erupted in 2011, when Abbas issued a decision to dismiss Dahlan from Fatah’s Central Committee in May of that year on charges of attempting to lead a coup against him. Dahlan remains to this day a source of concern for Abbas.