Comment: Is Palestinian Fatah Spying for Israel?
April 18, 2010 8 Comments
Dahlan
By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
Gaza-based Palestinian movement Hamas has again accused a senior official of rival Palestinian group Fatah of spying for Israel. Speaking last week from Gaza Damascus, Syria, Hamas official Mohammed Nazal said that Fatah Central Committee member Mohammed Dahlan, who has been tipped for the post of Vice President in Fatah-controlled Palestinian National Authority, is actively gathering information on behalf of Israeli intelligence. Nazal said Hamas received a tip-off about Dahlan from a former security officer in the Palestinian National Authority, who appears to have defected to Hamas. The unnamed informant reportedly met with Hamas defense officials on Friday, and told them that Dahlan had asked him to “collect detailed information” about the March 26 execution of two Palestinians, who were accused by Hamas of working for Israeli intelligence. He also claimed that Dahlan showed him a lengthy list of known Hamas operatives and asked him to determine the precise location of their residences in the Gaza strip.
The allegations concerning Mohammed Dahlan’s rumored contacts with Israeli and Western intelligence agencies go back several years. Until 2006, Dahlan, a.k.a. Abu Fadi, was the charismatic leader of Fatah in the Gaza strip. But in the civil strife that followed Hamas’ 2006 election success, Dahlan –a fluent Hebrew-speaker– was expelled from Gaza, along with his extensive network of operatives. Two years later, Vanity Fair reported that Dahlan led an aborted CIA-funded coup against Hamas, which involved extensive CIA paramilitary training, and formed the basis of the CIA’s current presence in the West Bank.
IntelNews has previously reported on the increasingly close collaboration between Fatah and Israeli or American security agencies. Last August, it emerged that Israeli Shin Bet operatives were providing political security for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad during their official trips around the West Bank. In December of last year, British newspaper The Guardian alleged that the Fatah-controlled General Intelligence service and the Preventive Security Service were working so closely with the CIA, that some American intelligence officers “consider them as their property”.
Less than a month later, there were reports of three Palestinians having allegedly assisted Israeli intelligence agency Mossad to assassinate Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. It is worth noting that all three were arrested by Emirati and Jordanian authorities, who have little sympathy for Hamas. The three arrestees included two Palestinian ‘businessmen’ in Dubai, who are known to belong to Fatah’s network of operatives, as well as Ahmad Hasnin, a Fatah intelligence officer.
The latest accusations by Hamas against Mohammed Dahlan should be considered within the context of the increasingly close collaboration between Fatah, the CIA, and Israeli security agencies. Admittedly, it is difficult to imagine someone like Dahlan working alongside the Shin Bet, the same agency that imprisoned him nearly a dozen times in the 1980s. On the other hand, close observers of the deepening political rift between Hamas and Fatah would admit that this scenario appears more likely as the Hamas-Fatah rivalry deepens. Both factions now routinely direct considerable portions of their security apparatus on each other. It is easy to see how US and Israeli intelligence agencies would be very interested in having a share in Fatah’s intelligence exploits in the Gaza strip.
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So…when Israel says it won’t work on any sort of peace deal with the Palestinians unless their government [the Palestinian government] shows good-faith gestures, what more do they want? How long will Fatah work with the US and Israel against Hamas at the expense of “their people”. Does anyone really give a damn about actual *people* there who are suffering??
Apparently Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah don’t. Maybe the Terrorists can go on the Election Campaign and see if they can get any Votes from The Free Muslim’s, whom Hate Terrorism. The Free World may benefit from The Problems the Terrorists are having, running their Operations and The Best thing to do is, to Help those whom will help themselves. The Civilian Populations should be told the Truth, that Terrorists are just using them as Body Shields and will never have any Peace as long as Terrorism is calling the Shots. I’d Bet the Iranians are not feeling happy about this either. After all they are Fighting a losing Battle. Failing Fast too.
are you sure Mohammed Nazal was speaking from Gaza? He lives in exile in Damascus.
Confirmed Nazal actually represents Hamas in Damascus, Syria, and was not speaking from Gaza. Article corrected; thanks Sammy. [JF]
anon01- the Pals suffer much less than say, Syrians, on a daily basis. you are either a mouthpiece or you fell for Hamas propaganda.
Dahlan used to go to swanky Chinese restaurants and nightclubs in Israel during 90s rapproachment. not first time a former prisoner worked with ex captors (how many Israeli leaders did time in UK-run prisons and returned for training, education and tours).
i am wary of him, bc he often makes wild claims about wanting to bomb Israel to oblivion.
then again, good cover.
It is a well known fact that Israel provides security for Fatah. Fatah does not represent the Palestinian people. Hamas is the only legitimate representative that the Palestinians still have. I hope Israel launches an attack on Iran by themselves, it will be great to see Israel annihilated.
I still say ApartheidIsrael sounds like one of those whining Jordanians who ran from his home in Israel because the Arabs told him too. Then when the Arabs lost, they became Jordanian and Syrian and the works. “Palestinians” didn’t even know what that word meant and sure as hell didn’t refer to themselves as Palestinians until 1967, when the Jordanians gave the rest of Jerusalem to israel and stripped all Arabs from the area of their Jordanian citizenship, turning them into refugees. Some brothers they are. That wouldn’t happen with the Jews or in the Christian world. Only in the middle east where everyone pretends to love their Muslim brothers but they really ha them and want to take everything for them. all the Palestinians should go back to their native countries, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria to name a few, and say: hey I was a citizen in your country my whole life, now that we have given the rest of jerusalem to the Jews, now it’s time to go back to where out families come from. But Not the last 2 generations, cuz that would be gaza strip and west bank. I’m saying go one step forward and go back to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Egypt. You are more that welcome to come to Israel for vacation and to see the Jewish and Christian holy sites. If you read the Quaran slightly more in-depth, you’d know the Islamic prophet, MPBU, didn’t take a ride in heaven around the temple mount. It is not the 3rd holiest site in Islam, and that’s been proven time and time again. I this site is just filled with little boys who got their feelings hurt by loosing a was against Israel, who was overmatched by far and still won. It’s ok. From my time living and working as an intelligence officer, the Israelis love you guys, it’s just that your elders don’t allow you to change courses. But the love is there. Embrace your Jordanian citizenship. Let the Jews have their holy wall back.. Muslims still have mecca and medina!
This is not surprising as the US and Israel is fighting an especially ugly invisible war with Iran. The CIA has even better sources in intelligence in the Lebanon Palestinean refugee community. It is remarakable how the CIA has penetrated the Palestinean refugee community. I am proud of the CIA in this pursuit.