|
Palestinian prisoners may be exchanged for Shalit
(AKI) - Israel is expected to free the 40 Hamas Palestinian parliament members held in Israeli prisons, as part of a deal to release captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The Israeli daily, Haaretz, said if Israel freed the prisoners before the end of 2009, the move would bring Mahmoud Abbas' term as Palestinian president to an early close in a legal sense, though not necessarily in practice. The legislators' release would give Hamas a majority - 74 out of 132 seats - in the Palestinian Legislative Council. The parliament is expected to convene after its Hamas-affiliated members are released, and to decide not to extend Abbas' term beyond January. Abbas is not expected to resign, although the Hamas position would seriously threaten his legitimacy. Hamas is demanding the lawmakers' release as part of the first stage of a deal to release Shalit. Most of the 40 legislators were arrested after the 25 June 2006 cross-border raid near the Gaza Strip that resulted in Shalit's abduction, although some were elected while serving time in prison. Israel is expected to allow the release of the legislators, since most were arrested because they are members of Hamas, and are not considered terrorists. According to Haaretz, the previous Fatah-run parliament passed a law shortly before the 2006 elections won by Hamas stipulating that Abbas' term should run five years - until January 2010 when both parliamentary and presidential elections would be held. But Hamas and several experts in Palestinian law say that the Palestinian election law can be amended by a two-thirds majority, rendering the one-year extension unconstitutional. Hamas says that Abbas' presidency should end this January, unless he wins a new presidential election. Posted by: Fred 2008-09-11 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=249697 |