GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Sources close to Mohammed Dahlan are claiming that the former high-ranking Fatah member intends to form a political party with backing from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Such a move would pave the way for the Democratic Reform Current (DRC), the movement Dahlan founded within Fatah, to participate in future Palestinian elections, unidentified sources told Arabi21 in July. The prospect of Dahlan founding a new party to rival Fatah has shed light not only on ongoing Palestinian divisions, but also on the latest manifestation of Arab states' involvement in Palestinian affairs, which oddly finds archenemies Qatar and the UAE standing together in opposition to Fatah.
The report coincided with the decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Dahlan's archrival, to hold Fatah leadership elections in Gaza, a Fatah source told the Gaza-based Safa news agency in July. The move reportedly came at the recommendation of the Fatah Central Committee in the West Bank. The last Fatah elections in Gaza, which Hamas has controlled since 2007, took place in 2015. No date has been set for the upcoming vote.
