Hamas convenes parliament for first time since seizing Gaza
With 40 Hamas lawmakers in Israeli jails and Fatah members staying away, only 28 of 132 members took seats.
By The Associated Press Tags: Hamas Palestinian Authority GazaLawmakers from Hamas convened a session of the Palestinian parliament Wednesday for the first time since the group violently seized Gaza from the rival Fatah movement last June.
With around 40 Hamas parliamentarians in Israeli jails and Fatah members staying away, only 28 of the legislature's 132 members took their seats in Gaza City's seafront parliament building.
Another seven took part by conference call from the West Bank abroad and lawmakers present - all from, or backed by, Hamas - said 35 of their jailed colleagues had appointed proxies, bringing the total number to 70, just over the 67 required for a quorum. Fatah said the tactic was not legal.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the depose prime minister, opened the session, saying it was part of his group's efforts to restore democratic life among Palestinians.
"The Israeli occupation in collaboration with Palestinian parties wants to curtail Palestinian life and paralyze democratic institutions," Haniyeh told the session.
The Islamic group swept the 2006 parliamentary elections, winning 74 seats, but was shunned by Israel and the international community for its refusal to recognize Israel or renounce violence.
After Hamas overran Gaza in June, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah fired Hamas from government and formed his own Cabinet in the West Bank, and parliamentary activity ground to a standstill.
Haniyeh said his group sought to mend relations between the two rivals by convening Wednesday's session, but Fatah said it was not invited.
"This is not a sign of good intentions," Fatah lawmaker Abdullah Abdullah told The Associated Press by telephone from Ramallah. "This is a consolidation of the separation between Gaza and the West Bank."
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Hamas lawmakers attend Palestinian Legislative Council meeting in Gaza. (AP) |
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According to self proclaim lone profit of islam, his invented angels cannot come inside the house,or dwellings with a pictures or dogs.
Pals are not victims of Israelis. They are, however, victims of the radical leaders in their own culture.
It is obvious you are very hateful of Hamas because it rejects the Israeli occupation and refuses to succumb to Jewish supremacy. As to Gaza being green..well, Gaza has been reduced to a concentration camp by the children and grand children of the holocaust. Besides, did the Jews at Ghetto Warsaw turn it into a verdant camp? It is sad that you are trying to deflect responsibility from the hateful occupiers who are imprisoning and starving 1.4 million Paelstinians. Shame on you. You are very much like the Germans..who kept silent and remained apathetic during the holocaust..You are even worse..you blame the victims.
That way you'll have the quorum to vote on continuing to bomb Israel and butcher Fatah.
Israel is attempting to steal an entire nation, making millions of people homeless. If Hamas ever recognized Israel or renounced violence, then the theft would be complete. As long as Hamas continues to oppose Israel, then the nation is still in play. There are many instances in history in which small groups have overcome large odds to regain control of a nation. Who can say what will happen in this case?
They don't believe in democracy, and don't believe in representative government of any kind that doesn't parrot what the ayatollahs in Iran think. Democratic life for Hamas means the ability to shoot Fatah opponents in the head when they want to. It's only a matter of time before they start beating women in the street for immodesty.
Let's see: 2 Palestines; one in Gaza under Hamas and another in the West Bank under Fatah. Gaza which smuggles weapons in and seeks the destruction of Israel & then the Fatah where the "leaders" like to get fat at the cost of the man on the street. Israel should go to war with Gaza, vanquish it and make it part of Israel (though historically it never was) so the settlers can go back home. Israel should make peace with Fatah creating Palestine in the West Bank (which historically was Israel) and allow the Fatah members in Gaza the right of return to Palestine. With Fatah ruling, the Palestinian on the street in Palestine will NOT be happy and before you know it the violence will just start all over again. Shame to you Israelies to allow your leadership (your ship of fools) to continue to steer you astray. But then you seem to enjoy the continued violence . . . G-d's will be done!
"Publicly, Hamas has promised Christians that they would not be harmed," a Fatah official said. "Privately, Christian professionals who had been working in the PA have been told that they would no longer feel comfortable in a Muslim society." Since its takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Hamas has provided incentives for Palestinians to adopt Islamic tenets. On Aug. 6, the Hamas regime announced that inmates could reduce their sentences by one year if they memorize five chapters from the Koran. Officials said the new directive was so far limited to Gaza's main prison — with 350 inmates, 30 of them on death row. "This new program encourages them to behave according to the Islamic law," Col. Abu Al Abd Hamid, the prison warden, said. The Fatah representatives said single Christian women have come under the greatest pressure to convert to Islam. They said a Christian professor, Sana Al Sayegh, was abducted by Hamas and forced to convert to Islam.