Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief David Zini allegedly met former senior Fatah figure Mohammad Dahlan in the United Arab Emirates, regional and Israeli sources told Kan on Tuesday.
The Shin Bet declined to comment, stating, “We do not comment on the schedules of the service chief.”
Dahlan is a former senior Fatah leader who rose to prominence in Palestinian politics as the first head of the Preventive Security Service. He oversaw the internal intelligence and paramilitary organization, which operates under the Palestinian Interior Ministry, until his resignation in 2002 in protest of delayed political reforms.
During this period, Dahlan established himself as a powerful security figure within the Palestinian Authority and a prominent voice in internal political and security affairs.
Falling out with Abbas leads Dahlan to Abu Dhabi
Dahlan later became a controversial but influential political figure. He was reportedly favored by the Bush administration, with reports suggesting that Washington encouraged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to appoint Dahlan as his deputy in 2007, though the president viewed Dahlan as a rival.
Dahlan’s political trajectory shifted sharply after he fell out with Abbas in 2011. He left the West Bank and has since lived in exile in Abu Dhabi, where he serves as an adviser to United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed.
Shortly after his departure, the Palestinian Authority convicted Dahlan of multiple serious offenses, including involvement in a poisoning plot against Yasser Arafat, an attempted coup against the Palestinian leadership, and embezzlement. Dahlan denied these accusations as “fantastical” at the time in an interview with BBC News.
Analysts have long speculated Abbas’s vision for succession involved the 90-year-old’s son, Yasser Abbas, taking his place, despite allegations of corruption.
Dahlan criticizes Fatah, Hamas corruption
Dahlan has consistently criticized corruption in both Fatah and Hamas. After Hamas won the 2006 elections, he described its members as “murderers and thieves” and fought during the ensuing power struggle that took over the territory.
Over time, however, his stance toward Hamas appeared to shift. By 2017, relations had improved enough for him to participate via video link in a Hamas-led parliamentary meeting. His participation in the meeting made particular headlines as it came years after it was reported Dahlan had been involved in an aborted US coup to rid Gaza of Hamas.
According to the Wall Street Journal report in 2024, Dahlan has also maintained contact with Hamas and has reportedly accepted that the group’s presence in the Palestinian territories is a political reality that is unlikely to change despite Israeli and US-led initiatives.
The same WSJ report claimed some Arab, Israeli, and American officials viewed Dahlan as a possible candidate to lead the Gaza Strip after the conclusion of the Hamas war.
Prof. Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the INSS and Misgav Institute, explained to The Jerusalem Post that “Israel perceives Dahlan as pragmatic, as responsible, reasonable,
and Israel wants to see Dahlan in an effective position,” even if he was less certain, Palestinians felt the same.
While Dahlan continues to have some involvement in the Gaza Strip, donating to relevant organizations tackling the humanitarian crisis caused by Hamas’s war, Michael said he very much doubted he would be interested in returning to a position of responsibility.
More likely than meeting with Dahlan to discuss a future role in the Gaza Strip, which would disrupt the 20-point plan, Michael theorized that Jerusalem was interested in sending a message to Abbas.
“Any sort of contact negotiation cooperation with him is finger in the eye of Abu Mazen (Abbas) and the Palestinian Authority, and maybe this government has an intention to do that, maybe they do it deliberately… maybe they want to weaken Abu Mazen, they want to weaken the Palestinian Authority,” he continued, evidencing that there was no other reason he could conceive why Israeli media would be handed such a story.
Originally from the Gaza Strip, Dahlan lacks support in the West Bank, and Michael said he doubted there was enough homogeneity to build a coalition between Gazans and West Bank Palestinians, so he theorized Israel may be laying the groundwork for “the day after Abu Mazen.”
“Israel sees that there are some factions that are competing with each other there in the West Bank, and maybe Israel is a bit worried about a chaotic situation,” he commented.