Special to WorldTribune.com

GAZA CITY — Former Palestinian Authority security chief Mohammed Dahlan was said to have been threatening the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip.

A senior Fatah official said Dahlan, expelled from Fatah in 2010, was behind a campaign to intimidate thousands of Fatah activists in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The official said the Fatah members were warned not to follow PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who also heads the movement.

“Dahlan supporters sent about 2,000 message threatening Fatah leaders in the Gaza Strip,” Fatah international relations director Mamoun Sweidan said.

In a statement on Jan. 25, Sweidan said Dahlan was targeting Fatah leaders in the Gaza Strip. He said the leaders were warned against implementing decisions by either the movement or the PA.

In late 2014, the PA fired more than 200 security officers believed aligned with Dahlan. PA officials said several of those dismissed were believed to have taken orders from Dahlan to relay classified information or sabotage
security operations.

Dahlan was believed to have responded with a campaign against Fatah in the Gaza Strip. The campaign, which included an attack in Gaza City on Jan. 24, was said to be coordinated with Hamas.

“Attacks on Fatah leaders and institutions have undergone an unprecedented escalation,” the Fatah Revolutionary Council said.

  Mohammed Dahlan moves against Abbas, threatens Fatah in Gaza, WorldTribune.com