Dahlan bloc upends election at Fatah university in Gaza
The political bloc affiliated with the Democratic Reformist Current of dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan won the majority of seats in the election of Al-Azhar University’s workers union, a blow to Fatah’s popularity.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Al-Azhar University has traditionally been a Gaza Strip stronghold of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, but supporters of his rival Mohammed Dahlan recently won a union election there, exposing the depth of a split in the organization.
In the annual election of officers for the Employees Syndicate on March 5, the Yasser Arafat bloc, affiliated with the Democratic Reformist Current (DRC), an organization formed by Dahlan after his falling out and dismissal from Fatah, defeated the slate of the University's Shield and Workers, which is affiliated with Abbas and supported by the university administration and board of trustees. The nine-member syndicate leadership consists of six academics and three administrative employees. Dahlan’s bloc secured three academic and two administrative seats, perhaps suggestive of the DRC’s growing influence at the university.
Fatah founded Al-Azhar in 1991. As a Fatah stronghold in Gaza, it is also a competitor of slamic University, which was established by Hamas. Despite administering Gaza, Hamas has no real presence at Al-Azhar.
Dahlan was dismissed as Fatah's security chief in 2011 following a dispute over the movement's leadership and alleged wrong-doing on his part. He has since emerged as a frequent and bitter critic of Abbas and has even made overtures to Hamas.
