Mohammed Dahlan, the man regarded as the United States and Israel’s preferred successor to Yasser Arafat, this week accused President George W Bush of demanding a “coup d’etat” against the Palestinian leader and said he will not stand against Arafat while he is under attack by Israel.
While conceding “reservations” about some of Arafat’s decisions, Dahlan — who stood down as head of Palestinian security in Gaza last month — says Bush’s intervention has backfired and will keep Arafat in place, rather than encouraging reform and a new generation of leaders.
Dahlan says one result of Bush’s intervention is that the latest polls show nine out of 10 Palestinians would vote for Arafat. “As long as the Israelis are against Arafat, I’m with him — whatever reservations I have about some of the decisions that have been made.”
Dahlan’s conclusion supports the European view that Bush made a misjudgement in his speech last week by targeting Arafat. The speech opened a rift between the US and European countries, which have said they will continue to work with Arafat.
The Arafat row has also widened the split within the US administration. Secretary of State Colin Powell shared the view of the Europeans but was overruled by Bush and, in a humiliating climbdown last Sunday, severed ties with the Palestinian leader.
The Palestinian election will be held next January. Without the US ultimatum Dahlan would almost certainly have been a contender.
Before Bush’s speech, Dahlan and others had been quietly preparing for the succession. But such moves now appear to have been scuppered.
Dahlan said: “While the chairman is under siege, it would be wrong to criticise him — that would only serve Israel and [the US]. There is no question of changing the leadership in these circumstances. If they try to expel or kill him — and anything is possible in the era of Bush and [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon — they will come to regret it bitterly. Bush is now effectively demanding a coup d’Ã