Palestinian Leader Dahlan: “We Need a new Leader who Can Govern in Ramallah and Gaza”
The Palestinian National Authority (PA) needs a new leader in place Mahmoud Abbas that, with the protection of an Arab military force, assume responsibility for administering the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
He stated this in an interview with the US newspaper “New York Times” Mohammed Dahlan, now an advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan but in the past among the most influential Palestinian leaders.
Also considered close to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, Dahlan illustrated to the “NYT” the plans that Arab leaders are currently discussing for the subsequent phase of the ongoing Israeli military operation.
The former Fatah leader explained that Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are ready to support a process leading to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
The condition, however, is the installation of a new leader in Ramallah, who will assume responsibility for administering the West Bank and Gaza Strip and who will replace the 88-year-old Abbas, who would be given an exclusively representative role.
“Nothing Abbas, no Hamas. We need new people to lead the Palestinian Authority,” explained Dahlan, now 62 years old.
The new Palestinian administration, added the advisor to the Emirati president, would also take care of inviting friendly Arab states to send troops to the Strip with the task of maintaining order: countries such as the Emirates and Saudi Arabia, according to Dahlan, they would be ready to lend a hand, and even finance the creation if Israel accepted the prospect of a Palestinian state.
“If there is a two-state solution – he explained – the answer is a big yes”: “The main Arab countries are very focused on resolving the conflict. Not of the ongoing war, but of the entire conflict.”
