Former Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, once a confidant and close ally of Palestinian President and Fatah chairman Mahmoud Abbas, recently found himself in deep trouble when he apparently had decided to test Abbas’ muscle. In the end, he found himself ostracized and then kicked out of a movement in which it was believed he was the strongest man, after its founder, the late Yasser Arafat.The article, from Bablylon & Beyond, goes into detail on just how Dahlan fell into disfavor.
But what caught my eye was Dahlan's efforts to meet with Abbas and patch things up:
Dahlan tried to reconcile with Abbas and sent people to mediate with him. Their efforts did not yield results as Abbas rejected these efforts and even refused to be with Dahlan in the same room, including in Fatah meetings. Abbas insisted on a commission to investigate the allegations against Dahlan, but the latter refused to cooperate until the situation became too serious for him to refuse cooperation anymore.Don't give up, Dahlan--it took Netanyahu months to finally get Abbas to sit down with him.
Have you considered talking to Obama about what kinds of concessions and confidence-building measures you may be able to offer?
Technorati Tag: Abbas and Dahlan.