Palestinian politician Mohamed Dahlan thanks President Sisi, says Israel was paralyzed on October 7

CAIRO – 4 January 2024: Palestinian politician, and leader of Fatah movement Mohamed Dahlan thanked Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al Sisi “for his firm rejection of the mass migration of the people of Gaza”.

He added in televised statements, Thursday that Israel cannot conquer people searching for independence and freedom. “We said before and still saying that we want to live side by side with the Israeli people. We have the ability to live with tragedies, but Israel cannot.” Dahlan said

*October 7 events*

Commenting on the October 7 events, the Palestinian politician said that what Hamas did was a “professional military action that surprised Israel and paralyzed their awareness, military capabilities, and the entire military establishment.”

“All the impressions that Israel had made over the years collapsed within 20 minutes on October 7, and the entire military institution that the United States of America was proud of was powerless for 6 hours to regain control of the situation, and if Israel wanted to learn a lesson, it had to move toward peace, not revenge.” Dahlan added

He noted that: “What happened on October 7 puts Israel at a crossroads. Either this event will create hope between the two peoples or it will be the gateway to a new hell and a spiral of violence and mutual revenge between Palestine and Israel”

“We hope that this will be a lesson for the Israeli people and the Israeli government, as the occupation cannot bring security to the Palestinian people.” Dahlan explained.

In his statements, Dahlan said that he met with Hamas leaders in Egypt, including Yahya Sinwar, as they agreed that they should benefit from past experiences.

He explained that the 7th of October events were a result not a goal. “On the path to revenge you must dig two graves, one for your enemy and one for yourself, and what happened in October is a result and not a general goal.”

He added that “everyone must be held accountable for October, however, now is not the time for accountability.”

*The Assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri*

And commenting on the killing of Deputy head of Hamas, Saleh Al-Arouri, who was announced dead after bombing his office in Beirut on Tuesday, Dahlan said that “targeting Al-Arouri is not related to a specific event, as much as it is dependent on the comprehensive picture of the war that has been ongoing against the Palestinian people since October 7th until the present moment.

He pointed out Israel leaked while ago the information that they have put Al-Arouri’s name on the assassination’s list.

The Palestinian politician explained that Israel is currently in a war that they never experienced before.

“They were surprised and shocked, as many of their previous beliefs have been shattered in reality, and thus, they are stuck in a corner that they had not thought about.”

He further noted that the international community point of view towards Israel has differed.

“The occupying state is struggling with time to regain its value, prestige, existence and ability to work. Therefore, giving this opportunity to Israel to strike in the heart of the southern suburb in Beirut, Lebanon comes to restore what was wasted of Israel’s dignity over the past three months.” Dahlan said

He affirmed that Israel carried out the Beirut strike in an attempt to “restore the dignity they lost in Gaza.”

Dahlan said that he has not been assassinated yet because “he did not commit the mistakes that his colleagues committed and fell victim to it”, stressing that he left power years ago, but he did not abandon the cause and his duty towards his people.

*Gaza fate*

In his vision of the fate of Gaza after the end of the war and the fate of the Palestinian leadership, Dahlan said that Israel will stop the war if they saw themselves suffering catastrophic losses, but victory in this case will be different, as it is not about the number of martyrs and that you were victorious, but this war will end in all cases.

Dahlan pointed out that what has happened in Gaza during the past period is huge and the losses are great.

He added: “Now, we are just trying to alleviate the wounds of our people in Gaza, and I hope that the people will donate $100 million, for example, and put this aid in Egypt to provide relief aid to the people instead of making statements that stir up strife and anger.”

Dahlan said that late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat “lived and died, while being financially poor. Arafat was a patriot and the most honorable and patriotic Palestinian official who passed by the Palestinian people.”

*Running for presidency*

Answering a question whether he is thinking of running for Palestinian presidency, Dahlan said that his stance on this regard “is clear” and he will not change it and that he is not looking for any power and does not work for it.

However, Dahlan said that he will continue to help and will not abandon Palestine. “But I do not want to be an employee.”

The leader of the Fatah movement added that the era of symbols ended during the era of the late leader Yasser Arafat, and that the era of individual leadership ended during the era of current president, Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas].