Dahlan option for 'post-war' in Gaza resurfaces
Dahlan, advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates for 12 years, positioned himself during the war as the supervisor of significant Emirati aid to Gaza.
According to exclusive information obtained by N12, the Israeli security system recently held discussions about the possibility of Mohammed Dahlan, former senior official of Fatah, taking the reins of power in Gaza after the war.
These discussions highlighted the potential threats and concerns related to this option.
Dahlan, advisor to the president of the United Arab Emirates for 12 years, positioned himself during the war as the supervisor of significant Emirati aid to Gaza.
Although he publicly declared his refusal to "accept or exercise any security, governmental or executive role in Gaza", Israeli security authorities do not rule out that he might do so if the opportunity arises.
The Israeli security system sees Dahlan as "an ambitious person who will not necessarily return physically to Gaza, but who will seize the opportunity to be the leader of the Palestinian people if it is offered to him."
However, Israel considers that the Dahlan option carries risks that could prevent the achievement of war objectives. The Israeli authorities have identified several potential threats linked to the Dahlan option for Gaza.
They particularly underline his past failure in the region and the fact that he is not perceived as a strong enough player to challenge Hamas. This weakness could force him to cooperate with the group or to reach an agreement, which would go against Israel's war objectives.
The major risk, according to these analyses, would be that Hamas uses Dahlan as a means to maintain its grip on power in Gaza, while benefiting from a more acceptable facade for the international community.
Furthermore, a Hamas-Fatah summit was held in Cairo on Wednesday. According to sources in Ramallah, the delegations discussed central issues, far from the "reconciliation" publicly announced. The parties agreed on the need to form a civilian committee for the reconstruction of Gaza and discussed the possibility of jointly managing the Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid. However, disagreements persist over the source authority - Hamas or PLO - each party pulling in its direction.