American and Arab mediators between Israel and Hamas are trying to promote Mohammed Dahlan as the potential leader of the Gaza Strip after the war, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Dahlan has lived in Abu Dhabi for many years. But the Wall Street Journal reports: “Since the war began, he has shuttled between the United Arab Emirates — a wealthy Gulf state that could help finance Gaza’s reconstruction and provide troops to an international stabilization force — and Egypt, whose border with Gaza and Israel makes it a key part of the territory’s future. Dahlan has advised and enjoyed the support of leaders in both countries.”
Arab and Hamas sources claim that during the recent negotiations between Hamas and Fatah, Dahlan presented himself as someone who could lead the effort to establish a new administration in Gaza. According to these reports, Hamas recently expressed its approval of Dahlan’s leadership of the Gaza Strip as a solution that would end the war.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told the Wall Street Journal that Hamas prioritizes a comprehensive post-war vision for Gaza, “based on national interest and national consensus,” rather than opposition or support for specific individuals. “It is unacceptable for a party to be imposed from above,” he added.
One option currently being considered is for Dahlan to lead a 2,500-strong Palestinian security force, which would work in coordination with an international force, after the Israeli withdrawal. The identity of the members of this force would be vetted by Israel with the United States and Egypt, and they would have no clear loyalty to the Palestinian Authority. Sources who spoke to the newspaper said it was possible that private security companies could also play a role in security in the Gaza Strip.
Dahlan was born in Khan Younis in 1961. His family came from a village near Nitzanim. He grew up in the neighborhood of the Rantisi family and Abed Al-Aziz Rantisi, one of the founders of Hamas, who was killed by Israel in 2004. He is, however, more closely associated with Fatah and served as commander of the intelligence services in the Gaza Strip from 1994 to 2002, leading the growing fight against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Under his leadership, many of them were arrested, often without clear charges, and some died in custody.
Dahlan’s life began in 2007, when he was forced to leave Gaza for Ramallah, due to the Hamas coup in the Gaza Strip. The then US President George Bush Jr. defined him as “our man”. Some also believed that Dahlan was a key figure in the Trump administration’s 2019 peace plan, dubbed the “deal of the century”. His closeness to the Americans did not prevent him from fleeing Ramallah to the United Arab Emirates in 2011, after being accused by the Palestinian Authority of financial corruption and plotting against Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Good relations with Israeli officials and even with the Shin Bet probably also contributed to the process that led to the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020.
He is now a businessman and his fortune is estimated at over $120 million. In 1997, it was alleged that he was diverting about 40% of the income from the Karni border crossing near Gaza (about NIS 1 million per month) to his personal bank account. He is said to have bought a luxury home in Dubai for $600,000 and an apartment in a tower in the city for $1 million.
Dahlan responded to the report on his Facebook page, once again expressing his refusal to accept any security, government or administrative position in the Gaza Strip. “Time and again, different scenarios on post-war arrangements have been presented or leaked to the media,” Dahlan wrote. “I am here only for what we can do to help our people in Gaza… Stopping the war is our top priority, and we will not support any other option.”
Published by Globes, Israeli business news – fr.globes.co.il – July 25, 2024.
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