Muhammad Dahlan, the former Fatah security commander in the Gaza Strip, is working to oust Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the veteran leadership of the ruling party, an Abbas aide told The Jerusalem Post. Fatah central committee member Hakam Balawi, a former PLO ambassador to Tunis, said Dahlan was responsible for the defeat of the Fatah-controlled PA security forces in the Gaza Strip by Hamas last June. "Dahlan is an opportunist who is spreading chaos, illusions and poison," Balawi said in a statement issued on behalf of the Fatah central committee in Ramallah. "Dahlan's actions and statements have long been based on intimidation, threats and ultimatums."
Balawi dismissed Dahlan's assertions that Abbas and the old guard Fatah leadership were responsible for the defeat in the Gaza Strip. "Dahlan is under the illusion he's the strong man in Fatah," he said. "All he wants is to preserve his position [inside Fatah] and to create divisions."