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Tuesday, December 15, 2009     GET REAL

Palestinian Authority's Abbas pressed to support Dahlan as successor

RAMALLAH — Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has been urged to support a former Fatah security chief as his successor.   

Palestinian sources said Abbas has come under pressure from senior Fatah members to support Mohammed Dahlan as the next PA chairman, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the pressure has come from members of the Fatah Central Committee, to which Dahlan was elected, as well as the Gaza contingent of the ruling movement.

"They've been meeting Abbbas and telling him that he [Dahlan] is the right choice," a Palestinian source said.


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Some Fatah activists have been openly promoting Dahlan as successor to Abbas. On Dec. 8, Dahlan's poster was placed next to that of Abbas during a Fatah seminar in the West Bank town of Jenin.

"This is the first time that a Palestinian president's portrait was placed next to somebody other than a head of state," another Palestinian source said.

The sources said Dahlan has amassed power since his election to the Fatah Central Committee in August 2009. They said Dahlan has been touring the West Bank and distributing funds to Fatah-aligned institutions and supporters.

Dahlan has been the only Fatah figure not to have urged Abbas to remain in office. Instead, Dahlan has said Abbas could be replaced with a range of what he termed qualified candidates.

"The Fatah movement is not tied to one person," Dahlan said.

The sources said Dahlan was also playing a major role in the PA crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank. The PA has arrested scores of Hamas operatives throughout the West Bank, including students, union members and clerics.



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