Two remarks about democracy (in the Middle East):

1. The details of a private criminal charge, which was filed a few months ago with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, were published on July 24 in the Israeli media. A riveting document, it provides a rare behind-the-scenes peek into Palestinian politics and an up-to-date picture of the democracy spanning from Ramallah to Nablus and Jenin, as well as Gaza.

The lawsuit was filed by Mohammed Dahlan, formerly a senior Fatah official and one of the chiefs of the mighty Palestinian security forces in the Gaza Strip, against none other than Chairman of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Mahmoud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen. The court in The Hague normally does not deal with such lawsuits, but Dahlan, who had done his homework, received special permission from the UN Security Council to file his lawsuit.

Until the military seizure of the Gaza Strip by Hamas, Dahlan was an all-powerful Fatah official in the Gaza Strip. As chief of the security agencies, he dominated the border crossings and power centers in the Strip. Having garnered great clout among Palestinian leadership, he was elected to the Palestinian parliament in 2006. A member of the Palestinian Authority government, he served as minister of the interior, minister for civilian affairs and national security adviser. He was also a member and spokesperson of the Fatah Central Committee.