Dahlan: Hamdallah resignation no surprise

Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Muhammad Dahlan says he is not surprised at all by the resignation of newly appointed premier Rami Hamadallah. Dahlan, who was once a strongman of Fatah party in the Gaza Strip before Hamas took over, added that the resignation “was a natural result of insistence by the Palestinian leadership to reproduce the same errors.” In a statement Thursday, Dahlan maintained that “any present or future government will fail if all pivotal tasks remain monopolized by the presidency and dedicated to serve its interests.” He added that the Palestinian people’s interests should not be run by “tools which proved to be self-centered and which do not prioritize the public interest.” The problem, added Dahlan, is not who serves as prime minister, both in the past and future, because even if all experts of the world work together they will fail to remedy the situation, according to Dahlan. He asserted that the Palestinians should have the courage “to reconsider some bases of the PA which have become unfit” to continue. According to Dahlan, the main point is that the PA must be strengthened through building institutions “rather than be dependent on individuals” and that is the only way it can counter external pressures and internal crises.