RAMALLAH, West Bank, 14 January 2008 — As the Central Council of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was scheduled to meet last evening to discuss dismissing the Hamas-dominated Parliament and call for early elections, signs of tension between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Syria rose in wake of plans for Palestinian opposition organizations to hold a conference in Damascus at the end of the month to discuss the Palestinian internal dispute.
The Central Council, which will meet in Ramallah today, in addition to the PLO’s top decision-making body the National Council, will make a decision on firing the current Parliament and holding early elections “since the Parliament is paralyzed.”
Fatah lawmaker Akram Al-Haimouni said that “The Central Council has the right to dissolve the Legislative Council” because of the split between the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and the West Bank where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement still dominant.
The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) failed to gather Hamas and Fatah lawmakers under its umbrella since June when Hamas routed pro-Abbas security forces and took over the Gaza Strip.
Haimouni said the Central Council would reiterate that there would be no talks between Fatah and Hamas until the latter gives up its control on the Gaza Strip. The council will also discuss the results of US President George W. Bush’s visit to the region and the bids to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
But Fatah lawmakers apparently hold different opinions toward dismissing the PLC. Abdullah Abdullah, a Fatah legislator, said the Central Council can’t alone sack the Parliament “because this was the president’s right.”
Instead, the Central Council will discuss earlier decisions involving the modification of the electoral law to adopt the proportional representation method in a way granting votes for the parties, not for the districts, Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, Hamas, which won elections in 2006, announced its refusal to any decision dissolving the PLC. “Such a decision won’t be legitimate because the basic law doesn’t authorize the Central Council to do so,” said Salah Al-Bardaweel, spokesman for Hamas parliamentary bloc.
With regard to the Damascus conference, Ahmad Abdulrahman, who is also a member of the Fatah Central Council, said that Syria must “quit intervening in internal Palestinian matters.”
The PA is up in arms over the decision of Palestinian opposition groups to assemble for a conference in which they are expected to discuss changes to Palestinian governing bodies.
Abdulrahman said that “every attempt to hurt the Palestinian leadership and its legitimacy encourages those who took power in Gaza to continue with their revolution.
