Middle East News

Fatah suspends membership of strongman Dahlan

Dec 28, 2010, 19:47 GMT

Ramallah - The central committee of the Palestinian political party Fatah said Tuesday it has suspended strongman Muhammad Dahlan.

The move, announced in a statement after the committee met in Ramallah, follows a deterioration in relations between the former top security official and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The relationship recently hit a new low after reports that Dahlan had spoken against Abbas in private meetings with Fatah members.

The Central Committee, which Abbas heads, had previously called on Dahlan to cooperate with a committee investigating his behaviour.

The panel also stripped Dahlan of his position as media and information commissioner and replaced him with Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.

Abbas recently withdrew guards posted at Dalhlan's Ramallah house and ordered the closure of a satellite television station partly owned by him that was due to start broadcasting in January.

The Fatah Central Committee, meanwhile, upheld Abbas' position regarding negotiations with Israel, reaffirming there will be no talks as long as the Jewish state continues settlement activities in Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

It said the Palestinians will ask the UN Security Council to get Israel to stop settlement activities.

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