Israeli Shin Bet chief reportedly met with former Fatah official in precedent-setting visit to UAE

The head of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) met with a former senior Fatah official during his recent trip to the United Arab Emirates, public broadcaster Kan News reported. 

Shin Bet chief David Zini held the meeting with former Fatah Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan, while visiting the UAE to coordinate security issues during the Iran War, according to the report, which did not provide details on their discussion. 

Zini’s secret visit to the UAE was precedent-setting and appears to reflect the growing cooperation between Israel and the UAE. 

Asked about the meeting, the Shin Bet told Kan News, “We do not comment on the schedules of the head of the service.” 

A former senior Fatah official in Gaza’s preventative security service, Dahlan, fled Gaza following the war for control of the Gaza Strip between Hamas and Fatah in 2007. In 2011, he was expelled from Fatah over claims that he led a group of Palestinian Authority officials in attempting to oust PA President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Following that, Dahlan went into exile in the United Arab Emirates, where he eventually became an adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. 

Despite having a history of terrorism, participating in the First and Second Intifadas, Dahlan has recently been put forward as a possible future leader for Gaza. 

Dahlan expressed rare criticism of Hamas following the outbreak of the Oct. 7 Gaza War, and also began to advocate for a technocratic government for the enclave even before the Gaza Peace Plan put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. 

In 2024, several reports claimed that Dahlan was being considered for a possible leadership role by the administration of former President Joe Biden. A report by the Wall Street Journal in July 2024 said that Dahlan was considered to be independent of both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, following his long exile in the. UAE. 

Dahlan himself has expressed reticence about a return to leadership. In 2024, in an interview with Sky News Arabic, Dahlan said, “I have declared more than once my refusal to accept any security, ministerial or executive position, and I call for the formulation of a realistic and implementable international work plan that will lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.” 

In early February, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also met with Dahlan during a visit to the UAE. The details of that meeting were also not disclosed to the media. 

While Dahlan is not considered a well-known figure among the Palestinian populace, his experience with the Palestinian Authority and with Gaza, and his absence from recent Palestinian politics appear to make him a more palatable figure for the Israeli government.