By Sami Moubayed, Special to Gulf News
"Damascus: Mohammad Dahlan, former Palestinian security minister, allegedly talked about killing former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
It is said to have been found in a hand-written letter dated July 13, 2003, addressed to Shaul Mofaz, the then-Israeli minister of defence in Ariel Sharon's cabinet.
Documents like these were discovered at the security offices of Fatah, which were abandoned three weeks ago after the Hamas takeover of Gaza. Since then a war of words - and documents - has been waged between the two Palestinian groups.
Esmail Heya, Hamas Minister of Interior in Gaza, spoke of video cassettes recorded by Dahlan showing senior members of Fatah involved in illegal sexual activity. Dahlan reportedly kept them to blackmail members of his own Fatah movement.
The Lebanese weekly Al Kifah Al Arabi claims Hamas sent copies of these documents - which it describes as a "treasure" to both Jordan and Syria, justifying its position towards Fatah.
The most outrageous document of all is the Dahlan-Mofaz correspondence, which hints at Arafat's assassination and accuses Hamas of being "mafia gangs" without naming it.
It reads: "You must know that we operate according to conviction rather than orders from anyone. We believe that our peoples' interest requires that we completely eradicate mafia gangs that spread chaos between us, along with fear and hatred between. Be sure that we will not let those who are strangers amongst us remain within us."
Dahlan promises to eliminate these mafia gangs "and their thought so that the only ones who remain within us are those who are willing to co-exist with you."
He adds, "Be sure that Mr. Yasser Arafat is now counting his final days but let us slaughter him our way - not yours." "
- Moubayed is a Syrian political analyst.
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