Mohammed Dahlan speaks about Palestinian unity and his back
Mohammed Dahlan
GAZA (Reuters) -  Mohammad Dahlan  who played a key backroom role in a major new effort for Palestinian unity   has said a two-state peace agreement with Israel was impossible and healing wounds from a civil war that split Palestine was now a priority.
“It was an honor for us ... that we succeeded to have those understandings between Hamas and Egypt ”  Dahlan  said by telephone from Abu Dhabi.  The former Gaza security chief  said  he  had kept silent during mediation efforts but decided to speak out now that they have borne fruit.
 Dahlan  said Egypt  which has accused Hamas of aiding an Islamist insurgency in the Sinai peninsula across the border from Gaza  held meetings with senior officials of the group  which denies aiding the militants.
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) gives the letter of appointment to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (L) as senior Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan watches in Gaza February 15  2007. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem/File Photo
In the interview   Dahlan  called on Hamas “to show more patience because all the good things are on the way” thanks to Egyptian mediation.
 He  dismissed any notion that Egypt  with the UAE and Saudi Arabia  was pursuing Palestinian reconciliation as part of any wider U.S.-initiated push for a regional peace deal with Israel.
“The ball is in his court and we are ready whenever he is ” said  Dahlan   in exile since 2011 after quarrelling with Abbas.
 Dahlan  said  his  strong ties with the UAE helped  him  to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Palestinians in Gaza  the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the past 10 years.
A recent poll by the West Bank-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey showed that those who still support Fatah in Gaza are shifting loyalty to  Dahlan .  His  popularity among Gazans has risen over the past nine months from nine to 23 percent.
 Dahlan  said  he  was not “obsessed” by opinion polls and a decision on whether  he  would run for a president would await until an election date is set.
GAZA (Reuters) -  Mohammad Dahlan  who played a key backroom role in a major new effort for Palestinian unity   has said a two-state peace agreement with Israel was impossible and healing wounds from a civil war that split Palestine was now a priority.
“It was an honor for us ... that we succeeded to have those understandings between Hamas and Egypt ”  Dahlan  said by telephone from Abu Dhabi.  The former Gaza security chief  said  he  had kept silent during mediation efforts but decided to speak out now that they have borne fruit.
 Dahlan  said Egypt  which has accused Hamas of aiding an Islamist insurgency in the Sinai peninsula across the border from Gaza  held meetings with senior officials of the group  which denies aiding the militants.
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) gives the letter of appointment to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (L) as senior Fatah leader [TGT] watches in Gaza February 15  2007. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem/File Photo
In the interview   Dahlan  called on Hamas “to show more patience because all the good things are on the way” thanks to Egyptian mediation.
 He  dismissed any notion that Egypt  with the UAE and Saudi Arabia  was pursuing Palestinian reconciliation as part of any wider U.S.-initiated push for a regional peace deal with Israel.
“The ball is in his court and we are ready whenever he is ” said  Dahlan   in exile since 2011 after quarrelling with Abbas.
 Dahlan  said  his  strong ties with the UAE helped  him  to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Palestinians in Gaza  the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the past 10 years.
A recent poll by the West Bank-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey showed that those who still support Fatah in Gaza are shifting loyalty to  Dahlan .  His  popularity among Gazans has risen over the past nine months from nine to 23 percent.
 Dahlan  said  he  was not “obsessed” by opinion polls and a decision on whether  he  would run for a president would await until an election date is set.