November 6, 2007

GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas Movement has urged PA chief Mahmoud Abbas to immediately halt the "futile" negotiations with the Israeli occupation government to protest the IOF troops' kidnapping of a Palestinian lawmaker and a national figure in the West Bank.

"We urge the PA presidency to take clear stand towards the Israeli occupation practices and to stop the PA-Israeli negotiations in show of protest to that kidnapping", the Islamic Movement stressed in a statement it issued Tuesday, and a copy of which was obtained by the PIC.

Palestinian lawmaker Hatem Kufaisha of Hamas Movement in Al-Khalil city, and Sheikh Maher Al-Kharraz, one of the prominent Hamas figures in Nablus city, were kidnapped at the hands of the IOF troops Tuesday.

Israel kidnapped more than 40 Hamas lawmakers in June 2006, they are still held hostage by the Israeli occupation.

"At a time PA chief Mahmoud Abbas continues his negotiations with terrorist [Israeli premier] Ehud Olmert, and while the Oslo team holds secret negotiations with their Israeli counterparts, the IOF troops persisted in their arrest campaigns against symbols of the Palestinian legitimacy", the Movement underlined.

The Movement also pointed out that the kidnapping of Kufaisha and Kharraz was almost simultaneous with the transfer of PLC speaker Dr. Aziz Dwaik, who has been in detention for more than 17 months, to hospital after his health deteriorated further.

The Movement lamented the inexplicable silence on the part of the Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and the international community, urging them to expose the [Zionist] entity's terrorism that violate international laws on human rights.

Tug-of-war at the PLC:
Responding to reports suggesting that Abbas was gearing to endorsing a law authorizing him to dissolve the PA legislature, which is a duly elected council, Palestinian legislator MP Mushir Al-Masri of the Hamas Movement affirmed that "Abbas has no authority under the constitution to dissolve the PA legislature because it is an independent body and the master of itself with supervisory powers over the executive branch of government represented by Abbas".

The London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi affirmed in its Monday edition that a draft resolution granting the PA chief full authority to dissolve and replace the duly elected PA legislature with any other legislation bureau in a clear attempt to abort efforts of the acting PLC speaker Dr. Ahmad Bahar to convene the council.

Hamas Movement had contested and won the PA legislative elections in 2006, granting it majority in the PLC.

"Talks about terminating the PLC were indeed harmonizing with the relentless efforts of the Israeli occupation government to neutralize the PLC, and comes after tens of kidnapped Palestinian MPs completed all the legal procedures to authorize their colleagues in Hamas to vote on their behalf", explained Masri.

Masri also pointed out that the timing of the reports of Abbas's plans, in addition to Fatah and PA leadership rejection to Bahar's call for a PLC session proves that the IOF troops' kidnapping of the Hamas lawmakers was coordinated with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah city.

He also stressed that the PLC will serve its four-year term, and that it will be convened on Wednesday as planned.

"We will foil this scheme and all those involved in it, and we shall not agree to annul the PLC role as it will serve its full term of four complete years", Masri stressed.

In apparent undermining to Fatah's threats to boycott the PLC session, Masri affirmed, "Hamas forms majority in the council, and other parliamentary blocs, including Fatah faction among others, were minorities in the council".