Dahlan resigns and speaks his mind. My take: he is joining the race for moderate successor to Arafat:
Dahlan resigns, slams PA leadership
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
The Palestinian leadership has never missed an opportunity to commit a mistake, Muhammad Dahlan, who resigned earlier this week from his job as national security adviser to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, was quoted as telling a group of businessmen at a closed meeting in Gaza City.
The London-based Al-Hayat newspaper said one of those who attended the Sunday meeting revealed Dahlan's words to its correspondent in Damascus, Ibrahim Hamidi.
According to the document, Dahlan, who served as commander of the PA's Preventive Security Service between 1995 and 2002, told the gathering he had advised Arafat to stop the intifada after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.
"The intifada is a means and not a goal," the newspaper quoted Dahlan as saying. "We should have turned it into a popular uprising and put an end to armed operations, but we didn't do so. I don't think that we, as a leadership, even have the courage to do so.
Dahlan is also reported to have described the Palestinian people as a "mob" inclined to radicalism and rejection. "The leadership should impose its decisions on the people on a number of issues, even if it has to use a stick," he added.
According to Dahlan, "Ben-Gurion agreed to the establishment of a [Jewish] state without Jerusalem in order to form a political entity and strengthen it. He accepted UN resolution 181 and declared the establishment of the state of Israel... But if Arafat had declared the establishment of a Palestinian state without Jerusalem, he would have been accused of treason, even by Fatah."
He added: "There are two trends in the PA; the first says that the people shall suffer and remain steadfast, while the second says that the people have collapsed. Both are wrong. The people are prepared to suffer if they know that their sacrifice would be rewarded with political gains."
On the PA's relations with Hamas, Dahlan said that there is a feeling among members of the radical Islamic movement that the PA does not deserve to continue to exist. Referring to the assassination of PA Colonel Rajeh Abu Lihyeh by Hamas members in Gaza last week, Dahlan threatened, "We have thugs exactly like they do." He described senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi as the "leader of the
local Taliban. He thinks that he's Mullah Omar."
Dahlan disclosed that the PA and the US were close to reaching a deal on the Karine A ship, intercepted by Israel earlier this year as it was trying to smuggle weapons to the PA. According to the proposed deal, US Secretary of State Colin Powell was to announce that the ship was intended for Hizbullah, not the PA. In return for the exoneration, the Palestinians were to declare that that any official discovered to be involved in the attempted smuggling would be arrested and tried.
"But because we are so bright, we immediately announced that the Americans had cleared us of any wrongdoing in this affair," Dahlan said. "This led the Americans to believe that they are dealing with a mafia or a gang. As a result, the case erupted into a big political scandal."
Dahlan resigned on Monday to protest the delay in implementing reforms in the PA. Sources close to him said he had been insulted by the fact that Arafat sent him a letter only this week informing him of the decision to appoint him national security adviser.
Dahlan denied the newspaper report, saying it was part of a campaign of incitement that is being waged against him.
jpost.com
Arafat anounces that he will fire Interior Minister Yahiyah, the other PA figure who has called the intifada a big mistake:
Arafat to replace Yahya with W. Bank Tanzim head as PA Interior Minister
By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat announced on Wednesday to the members of Fatah's central committee his plans of a new shakedown in the PA's Cabinet, Army Radio reported.
Committee members were quoted by the report as saying Arafat was intending to fire PA Interior Minister Abdel Razek Yahya, following pressure by prominent Fatah officials, after Yahya failed to reorganize the PA's different security mechanisms.
Yahya, reports said, will be replaced by Hanni al-Hasan, the head of Tanzim in the West Bank, committee members said.
Other ministers in Arafat's cabinet, among them Finance Minister Salaam Fayad, Saeb Erekat and Nabil Sha'ath, will remain in power, the report said.
jpost.com
And oh yes, Arafat is reshuffling his cabinet yet again (in an effort to buy more time, imo):
Arafat set to announce new PA Cabinet
By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is set to announce the members of the PA's new Cabinet in the following days, a chief PA official told Israeli news agency Itim Wednesday.
Arafat on Wednesday convened the Fatah's supreme committee to discuss several subjects, including the profile of the new cabinet, a report carried by the agency said.
Chief PA officials have been quoted as saying the make-up of the new cabinet will surprise many, the report said. Fatah officials, however, told Itim the planned changes were insignificant. Arafat intends to keep most of the cabinet's members in place, they said.
jpost.com |
