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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Report: Ex-Gaza Strongman Granted Serbian Citizenship
2015-01-31
[AnNahar] Exiled Paleostinian strongman Mohammed Dahlan, a rival of President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
, has been granted Serbian citizenship, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) reported Friday.
You were just wondering what had happened to him, dear Reader, and here we have the answer.
"Dahlan, his wife and four children, a nephew and five key political supporters were all granted citizenship between February 2013 and June 2014," BIRN said.

The news portal provided a link to a page from the government gazette of December 11, 2013, in which the decision to grant Dahlan citizenship was published.

The decision, which was signed by then prime minister Ivica Dacic, went unnoticed until reported by BIRN.

"Dahlan is credited with facilitating Abu Dhabi's promised investment of billions of euros in Serbia," BIRN said, referring to pledges of financing from the United Arab Emirates, including a multi-billion-euro plan to redevelop Belgrade's waterfront.

Dahlan lives in the United Arab Emirates.

The government in Belgrade refused to confirm a link between the passports given to 12 Paleostinians, all linked to Dahlan, and the Gulf country's planned investments, the report said.

Contacted by AFP, a Serbian government front man declined comment.

Dahlan once acted as pointman for Abbas in the Gazoo Strip, where he ran the security forces but he fell from grace in 2007 after the Islamist group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, drove Fatah from Gazoo following days of fierce street battles.

In June 2011, he was expelled from Fatah's ruling body and also lost his parliamentary immunity following allegations of corruption and murder.

In May, he was sentenced in absentia to two years in jail for defamation.

A trial against him on charges of corruption opened in December in the West Bank.
Posted by:trailing wife

#8   Difficult to believe this is agreeable to the Serb-in-the-street.

Indeed. But the govt gets to mess with Israel which is worth international bonus points.
Posted by: SteveS   2015-01-31 20:36  

#7  Live and learn I guess. Difficult to believe this is agreeable to the Serb-in-the-street.
Posted by: Shipman   2015-01-31 20:13  

#6  
"On 23 June 2010 at a summit of Balkan countries in Istanbul, Serbia was one of the countries that strongly condemned Israel's attack on the (Gaza) aid flotilla as well as the loss of life. In October 2011, Serbia voted to recognize Palestine as UNESCO's 195th member, against Israel's wishes. Belgrade declared that it would not have opposed a resolution recognizing Palestinian sovereignty, had one come before the UN General Assembly.[13] On the 29th of November, 2012 Serbia followed through with such promises, voting to welcome Palestine as the newest member of the United Nations by voting in favor of United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19."

This is not a surprising development.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660   2015-01-31 14:27  

#5  This is flat-out bonkers.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2015-01-31 13:10  

#4  Given the usual antipathy Serbs have toward the Muslims, he must have brought a LOT of cash...
Posted by: Steve White   2015-01-31 11:19  

#3  He brought cash
Posted by: Frank G   2015-01-31 11:03  

#2  My thoughts exactly Ship.

Is Kosovo still considered part of Serbia? That I could understand.
Posted by: AlanC   2015-01-31 08:27  

#1  Serbian? WTF?
Onion?
Posted by: Shipman   2015-01-31 06:59  

00:00