(1961- ) A
Palestinian political and security figure, and a longtime member of
Fatah. After the signing of the
Oslo Accords, Dahlan was the head of the Preventive Security Forces in the
Gaza Strip, later becoming the National Security Advisor, and served on the
Palestinian Legislative Council. Dahlan was part of the Palestinian delegation to the 2000
Camp David (II) Summit. Dahlan was viewed with suspicion by many Palestinians because of his good relations with the U.S. and
Israel, which led some to think of him as an agent, and, though he vocally called for reforms in the
Palestinian Authority, PA) he was also accused of large-scale corruption. While heading the Palestinian National Security Council from 2006-2007, Dahlan was a key part of escalating the
Hamas-Fatah conflict in Gaza. In June 2007, he led what some have called a failed U.S.-backed coup of the democratically elected
Hamas government. After Hamas's subsequent counter-coup and takeover of Gaza, PA President
Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the National Security Council and Dahlan was expelled from Gaza, going to the
West Bank. Dahlan was elected to Fatah's Central Committee in 2009 and then expelled from Fatah in early 2011 due to (unsubstantiated) allegations that he was involved in poisoning
Yasser Arafat. As of 2015, Dahlan resided in Abu Dhabi, with a bitter split persisting between himself and Abbas. See "
Exiled in Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Dahlan Dreams of Gaza," Dan Ephron, Newsweek, March 2, 2015; and "
The Gaza Bombshell," David Rose, Vanity Fair, April 2008.