Hamas boycotts session of parliament called by Abbas - Haaretz

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Tue., May 27, 2008 Iyyar 22, 5768

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		Palestinian lawmakers attending a parliament session, boycotted by Hamas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday. (AP)

Last update - 19:54 11/07/2007

Hamas boycotts session of parliament called by Abbas

By The Associated Press

The militant faction Hamas boycotted the opening of the new Palestinian parliament's new term Wednesday, effectively allowing Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to keep his emergency cabinet in power.

Abbas established the emergency government last month after he dissolved the former unity government, led by Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, in the wake of Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas' boycott of the meeting deprived the parliament of the required quorum, preventing the Hamas-led legislature from voting against Abbas' cabinet of moderates.

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A senior U.S. envoy, meanwhile, assured Abbas of Washington's full support for his steps against the Islamic militants in response to the Gaza fighting.

"We support the president [Abbas] in his decisions which are legitimate [under] Palestinian law and authority to deal with this unfortunate development," said U.S. State Department official David Welch.

Welch met Abbas to prepare for next week's visit to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for another attempt to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Hamas has denounced Abbas' measures in establishing an emergency cabinet as illegal, and said it would not recognize the new government.

Under Palestinian law, an emergency government can only rule for one month, and any extension requires parliament approval.

Hamas has 74 members in the 132-seat parliament. However, 41 Hamas legislators have been rounded up by Israel in the past year, leaving Fatah with an effective majority with its 42 legislators.

Last week, Abbas issued a presidential decree, calling for a parliament session Wednesday to mark the start of a new term during which a new speaker was to have been elected. Currently, the speaker and his deputy are from Hamas, but the group would have likely lost Wednesday's vote.

As a result, Hamas refused to attend the session.

The deputy speaker of parliament, Ahmed Bahar of Hamas, said Abbas didn't have the right to convene the parliament in the first place. "We consider this decree to call the session for today a clear infringement on the constitution," Bahar said, adding that the speaker is the only one authorized to convene a session.

Ostensibly a setback for Fatah, the failure of parliament to meet in fact paved the way for Abbas to extend the term of the emergency government, said Azmi Shuaibi, a former legislator. "Under the Palestinians' basic law, the president can rule by decree if parliament is unable to convene," he said.

Abbas' aides did not say if and when he planned to extend the term of the cabinet, but such a move is widely expected

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1.	can we call him dictator now?	18:23	\|	vik	11/07/07

2.	The dictatorship is complete	18:50	\|	Mark Lincoln	11/07/07

3.	Democracy?	19:15	\|	Murray	11/07/07

4.	KIDNAPPED LEGISLATORS	19:31	\|	Double Click	11/07/07

5.	ABU KARAZI ABBAS	19:35	\|	Joe	11/07/07

6.	Who is in charge of d border at Gaza side ?	19:43	\|	Alberto Cohen	11/07/07

7.	israel`s move to arrest 41 Hamas lawmakers has backfired,and now	19:45	\|	lakshmi	11/07/07

8.	Palestinian Divergence	19:53	\|	Polybios	11/07/07

9.	what democracy??	19:57	\|	vik	11/07/07

10.	It is high time we all, and especially the Palestinian Arabs,	20:05	\|	Avihu	11/07/07

11.	Rising tide	20:18	\|	Observer	11/07/07

12.	#9	20:42	\|	Rich	11/07/07

13.	Hey Hamas bloodthirsty supporters !	20:47	\|	infidel	11/07/07

14.	ISRAEL PLOT WITH FATAH,,,,, ABDUCTION OF HAMAS LEGISLATORS	21:18	\|	Ginger	11/07/07

15.	Abbas government of the Imagination	21:26	\|	Fred	11/07/07

16.	Rich, you will be pleased to know that as reported in the New	21:43	\|	Avihu	11/07/07

17.	Shalit chances for quick release are dimming	21:44	\|	Tosefta	11/07/07

18.	13 Hey Infidel,Palestinians want peace with Justice and a state,	23:02	\|	lakshmi	11/07/07

19.	Hamas is going to take the West Bank	23:35	\|	Jason	11/07/07

20.	What if?	23:37	\|	KT	11/07/07

21.	In Your Big Ears	23:48	\|	Mary	11/07/07

22.	Bye Bye	23:49	\|	Jim	11/07/07

23.	Disgrace for the west and Israel	00:02	\|	Me	12/07/07

24.	# 3 Murray of Milano	00:04	\|	Jim	12/07/07

25.	A good argument against the EU constitution	00:52	\|	Fritz	12/07/07

26.	24 Jim	00:56	\|	Mark of Lewiston	12/07/07

27.	# 10 Avihu	01:01	\|	Jim	12/07/07

28.	# 16 Avihu	01:32	\|	Jim	12/07/07

29.	Constitutionality of the Abbas gouvernement	01:47	\|	Fritz	12/07/07

30.	# 19 Jason "Hamas is going to take the West Bank"	01:55	\|	Jim	12/07/07

31.	# 23 Me	02:07	\|	Jim	12/07/07

32.	# 26 Thanks Mark.	02:15	\|	Jim	12/07/07

33.	I agree with # 4: legislators KIDNAPPED of elected officials	02:25	\|	nobodysacred	12/07/07

34.	peace is against israel`s ideology: zionism	02:36	\|	nobodysacred	12/07/07

35.	to #22 Jim: if they participate in Abbas "emergency" government	02:48	\|	nobodysacred	12/07/07

36.	to #27 Jim: handouts? more than $ 4 US billon to Israel	02:56	\|	nobodysacred	12/07/07

37.	lakshmi are you sure Hamas will accept Israel existence?	03:00	\|	infidel	12/07/07

38.	# 33 nobodysacred	03:27	\|	Jim	12/07/07

39.	24Jim,they were arrested and were asked whether they would resign	04:02	\|	lakshmi	12/07/07

40.	#9 Say Vik; I like the style of the Zionist government!	04:05	\|	ballistic	12/07/07

41.	Abbas now has to rule by decree?	04:42	\|	Johnboy	12/07/07

42.	#19 Actually, Jason, give Hamas some credit	05:12	\|	Johnboy	12/07/07

43.	#30 You need to think a little mmore deeply, Jim	05:30	\|	Johnboy	12/07/07

44.	# 14 It seems Israel`s tricks are getting dirtier than ever	08:19	\|	Dutch	12/07/07

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