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Following are excerpts from an interview with Hani Al-Hassan, a member of the Fatah Executive Committee, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on June 27, 2007.
Interviewer: How come 15,000 members of the security agencies from Fatah were defeated? They were trained in Europe, in Egypt, and in Jordan, they cost the American treasury, or the American aid program, dozens or hundreds of million of dollars, and they were armed with the most modern weapons. Yet, they were vanquished in the blink of an eye by a few thousand Hamas fighters.
Hani Al-Hassan: The real picture is different.
Interviewer: What is the real picture?
Hani Al-Hassan: There was a plan by Dayton...
Interviewer: General Dayton?
Hani Al-Hassan: Yes.
Interviewer: He is the American general who has been staying in Jerusalem ever since the Hamas came to power.
Hani Al-Hassan: He has recently been summoned to Congress, where he boasted that he was drawing up plans and training people. What in fact was defeated was the Dayton plan, along with a small group of people who worked with him and who believe in the American position. The Fatah movement did not collapse in Gaza. 95% of Fatah had nothing to do with this plan and were not party to it.
Interviewer: What was the nature of this plan?
Hani Al-Hassan: The plan was intended to enforce security. As you know, America has not recognized the results of the Palestinian elections. Europe says that if Hamas were to change, it would be prepared to deal with it. But America says that Hamas must be dismantled, the Al-Aqsa Brigades must be dismantled, and the Islamic Jihad must be dismantled. They say they would not accept "political Islam" on the border of Israel. We, in Fatah, cannot oppose the results of the parliamentary elections, because the people has spoken. We believe that in two years' time, in the next elections...
Interviewer: In two and a half years...
Hani Al-Hassan: Yes, new elections will be held, and this time, our situation will improve and we may return to power. If we don't accept the results of the elections today, we will not gain the recognition of others in future elections.
[...]
There is a group in Fatah that is not willing to operate under Dayton. When Dayton...
Interviewer: In other words, there is a split in Fatah now?
Hani Al-Hassan: Yes. There were two groups in Fatah.
Interviewer: Only two?
Hani Al-Hassan: Two main ones.
[...]
Interviewer: Some commentators say that Muhammad Dahlan, who has been accused by Hamas of collaboration with Israel, has hijacked the Fatah movement, and he is the one steering it, according to the will of Israel and of General Dayton, as you just said.
[...]
Hani Al-Hassan: I have always told you that there is a struggle over Fatah. This struggle has not reached the point at which Dahlan is steering Fatah, even though he would have liked to.
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