Many Palestinians are convinced that former Palestinian Authority Security Minister Muhammad Dahlan is responsible for the growing pressure on Yasser Arafat to implement security and financial reforms. Dahlan, who represents the "young guard" in Arafat's mainstream Fatah faction, has in the past few months been spearheading calls for reforms and an end to corruption. On a number of occasions, he has openly criticized Arafat and the "old guard" for failing to replace the corrupt officials around him. In an interview last week, the 43-year-old Dahlan once again lashed out at the PA leadership, pointing out that many officials had sent their families to live abroad while the majority of Palestinians are living in harsh conditions. Dahlan has also been traveling around the Gaza Strip, talking before various forums about the need to implement genuine reforms and end corruption. His demands for reforms, together with his strong criticism of the top brass in the PA, have not fallen on deaf ears in the Gaza Strip.
Many disgruntled Fatah activists and gunmen have also been listening to Dahlan very carefully. Dahlan — who recently raised eyebrows in Gaza when he purchased one of the city's most expensive villas — has been telling them that the time has come to get rid of all the corrupt leaders, including the commanders of the PA security forces and senior officials in Arafat's entourage. |