The latest failed coup attempt in Turkey has unveiled different countries’ stances that go far beyond the coup itself or even the involvement of Gulen’s organization.
In fact, it has revealed the presence of a wide overlapping network that sponsor counter-revolution in the Arab World.
The network is led by former Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan, who acts as the special envoy for counter-revolution regimes, to carry out dirty works.
On top of these counter-revolution regimes is the United Arab of Emirates which has strong ties with Dahlan.
UAE has backed one of the bloodiest counter-revolution in Egypt led by Gen.Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The New Khaleej highlighted the relation between Dahlan and Mohamed Bin Zayed the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi as cited by al-Masdar, an Israeli site, in September 2015. Dahlan’s relation with the UAE Crown Prince made him, “One of the most powerful figures in UAE and in other countries in the world in terms of political and economic influence as well as facilitating the UAE investments in the Palestinian authority areas.” The site added that these investments aim to enhance both UAE and Dahlan’s power.”
The New Khaleej mentioned as an example the strategic relations between the UAE and al-Sisi military regime in Egypt. The UAE provides unlimited support to al-Sisi regime to face the pro-democracy political forces, including the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi supporters, as well as the militants in Sinai. The UAE support the Egyptian military and economy is also aimed at facilitating Dahlan’s work in Egypt.
Dahlan and Turkey’s failed coup attempt
After the failed coup attempt in Turkey last July, the Turkish authorities started to investigate Dahlan’s involvement in the plot with strong suspicions around his cooperation with Fethullah Gulen. A non-governmental research center in Sarajevo said that Dahlan enjoys friendship ties with the followers of Gulen, the major defendant of the failed coup attempt.
Middle East Eye also unveiled that the exiled Palestinian and Emirati middleman Mohamed Dahlan was in contact with Gulen and that he allegedly transferred money to the plotters in Turkey via a Palestinian businessman based in the US during the weeks before the coup attempt.
It is not clear what the main promises, presented by Dahlan to the coup plotters were, but Abu Dhabi’s tools do not change, i.e. financial aids to compensate the coup costs (like what happened with al-Sisi in Egypt. In addition, the UAE would have used its soft power in Europe and Washington to support Turkey’s coup, as well as its political and media channels if the coup had succeeded.
Dahlan experience of the Egyptian Military Coup
The New Khalij highlighted Dahlan’s role in Egypt’s military coup, saying that he used to attend meetings with top ranks military leaders based on a direct order from al-Sisi. Moreover, Dahlan has enhanced the close ties between the UAE and al-Sisi during Morsi’s presidency. Special sources told the Newh Khalij that Dahlan has opened the communication channel between al-Sisi and UAE due to his close relation with al Sisi’s office director, Abbas Kamel.
In a few months, Dahlan succeeded in coordinating between Abu Dhabi, Amman, AL-Riyadh on the one side and the Egyptian military on the other, till they reached their target, i.e. the military coup in July 3, 2013.
In addition, a Palestinian official has also stated that, “The office managed by Dahlan’s man -Gaza ex-security chief Rashid Abu-Shbak- has become the second Palestinian embassy in Cairo.”
Dahlan’s dirty missions in other countries
Dahlan was allegedly used as a conduit for UAE funds and communications in various operations throughout the Middle East, according to Middle East Eye.
Dahlan is also linked to attempts to stoke the civil war in Libya in a secret recording of Abbas Kamel -office director of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi- where Kamel revealed that Dahlan, accompanied by three people, would secretly visit Libya on a private jet.
Kamel recommended that a military official would allow Dahlan to leave the Libyan airport in secret. Kamel said Dahlan had already caused a problem for the Egyptian authorities because he travels “upon orders from the UAE, which monitors all his movements”.
In Tunisia, Dahlan also met last January many parties -close to the Emirates-after they lost politically. Dahlan’s main target was to set a plan to remove Ennahda- known as the Renaissance Movement- from the Tunisian political scene. However, “When Dahlan and UAE felt that Ennahda became one of the basic parts of the political structure in Tunisia, Dahlan came with a new plan to destroy the political structure, spread chaos and thus the Tunisian experience like other countries who failed in their revolution.”
The Anchors of the Counter-Revolution Network
The failed coup in Turkey has collected the puzzle pieces of the counter-revolutions network. The three anchors of the network-UAE, Egypt and Dahlan- started to appear on the surface through their similar and common stances.
Both Egypt and UAE media reported from the early hours of Turkey’s coup attempt that it was successful.
In addition, Fetuallah Gulen appeared on al-Ghad al-Arabi Channel-in his first interview with an Arabian Egyptian Channel after the failed coup attempt last July. Gulen-the mastermind of the July 15 coup attempt and the leader of FETO appeared on the Egyptian TV channel and called on the Western countries to intervene in Turkey and topple Erdogan and the AKP government, according to the Daily Sabah, a Turkish daily newspaper.
Al-Ghad Al-Arabi TV is owned by former Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan. The channel headquarters were in London but they have recently moved to Egypt.
Egypt, which is one of the countries where counter-revolution has succeeded, started to provide a platform for Gulen’s media based on Dahaln’s strategy and with the financial support of the UAE.
In this context, a meeting of a number of leaders in “Fethullah Gulen’s organization” who are located in African countries has been held in Cairo, according to the New Khaleej, an investigative online newspaper.
The meeting discussed the repercussions of the failed coup attempt and how to face the latest Turkish action against the organization and its cells within the Turkish state institutions as well as its external arms.
Moreover, sources stated that Fethullah Gulen’s media arm, represented on the electronic website of Zaman-Arabic newspaper, is working from Cairo.
The Gulen-affiliated media outlet, including a team of Arab and Turkish journalists who administer the website of Zaman newspaper, related to Gulen, works in official headquarters based in Cairo with the acknowledgment of the Egyptian authorities, according to the source.
The Zaman website posts news and reports that launch massive attacks against the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party. One of these reports has accused Erdogan of plotting the coup to eradicate Gulen’s organizations by accusing it of standing behind the coup attempt. Moreover, the website streams recorded videos for Gulen translated into Arabic.
In addition,, it is noteworthy to mention reports, that have not been stated by the Turkish newspapers on a wide scale, on a conference that was held in Cairo under the title of, “Restrictions on the Freedom of Expression and Human Rights Violations in Turkey”, under the auspices of Fethullah Gulen’s and PKK terrorist organizations.
There are also talks that Egypt would possibly be the new residence for the ‘parallel state’ organization (FETO) of Fetullah Gulen. Turkey’s Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag said that there is intelligence information that Fethullah Gulen is seeking to escape to a number of countries, including Egypt, Canada, Mexico and South Africa, according to Rassd News Network. In response, Egypt said through its Prime Minister Sherif Ismail that “We have not received any request related to this issue, and if a request is presented, it will be studied.”
Accordingly, it seems that the counter-revolution network led by UAE, Egypt and Dahlan will try to use the Tunisian strategy in causing defamation and instability in Turkey after they failed in adopting the Egyptian strategy in toppling Erdogan’s government the same way it happened with Morsi in Egypt.
