Israel’s Shin Bet chief meets Mohammed Dahlan in UAE: What to know

Shin Bet Director David Zini met recently in the United Arab Emirates with former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported Tuesday.

Inside meeting: According to Haaretz, the meeting focused on postwar arrangements and future governance of the Gaza Strip. The Shin Bet declined to comment, saying, “We do not comment on the head of the service’s schedule.” An Israeli political source confirmed to Al-Monitor that the meeting took place.

Contacted by Al-Monitor, the Emirati Foreign Ministry declined to confirm whether Zini visited the country and met there with Dahlan.

Haaretz reported that Dahlan’s role in Gaza’s future administration was discussed. An unnamed official cited in the report said Dahlan, while holding no formal position in Palestinian institutions, still retains influence in the enclave. The official added that several members of the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a transitional technocratic body established last January under President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan and tasked with administering the territory, are aligned with or associated with Dahlan.

Back-channel visits: In early May, Haaretz reported that Zini and Mossad chief David Barnea visited the UAE and met senior Emirati officials. On May 13, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed he visited the Emirates and met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Abu Dhabi later denied the meeting took place.

Dahlan, a former Fatah leader in Gaza and ex-head of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service there, was expelled by Hamas after it seized control in 2007. He later broke with PLO leader Yasser Arafat and is a rival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Since relocating to Abu Dhabi, he has lived in exile and serves as an adviser to Sheikh Mohammed. The Wall Street Journal reported in July 2024 that American, Israeli and Arab officials had identified Dahlan as a leading candidate for postwar governance arrangements in Gaza.