Mohammed Dahlan said he left his powerful security post and turned down an offer to join the PA's new Cabinet because reforms have been insufficient. Dahlan told AP earlier this week that he has not severed ties with the Palestinian leadership — he still gets phone calls from Arafat himself.
Dahlan, the former head of Gaza Strip preventive security, said he turned down Arafat's offer to serve as interior minister in a new Cabinet announced Sunday. The job would have put Dahlan in command of the security forces, a position Arafat held himself for the past eight years. "When I asked (Arafat) if I could change the people who worked in the ministry, he said `No,' so I declined the offer," Dahlan said Monday.
Palestinian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, disputed Dahlan's claim that he was offered the interior minister position, saying he was asked to become Arafat's security adviser.
Dahlan has said previously he was resigning, only to return to his job. This time he said the break is final — even though, Dahlan said, Arafat continues to call him. "Until now, he (Arafat) doesn't realize that I've quit. He rang me and asked me about a specific issue and I told him to ask Rashid Abu Shbek," Dahlan said, referring to his former deputy, now in charge of preventive security in Gaza. (Albawaba.com)
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