Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced last week that the Palestinian Legislative Council, dominated by Hamas, will soon be dissolved, the official Palestinian news agency reported.
Speaking at a conference in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Abbas said the council would be dissolved "legally", without specifying a date for the extent to which Hamas could oppose.
Hamas holds most of the seats on the legislative council; of the 132 seats on the council, 76 are held by Hamas, compared to 43 for Fatah. The movements of the Palestinian left and the independents hold the remaining 13 seats.
As stated by Maan: “The move will revert legislative power back to the PLO and the Palestinian National Council. Hamas is not a member of the PLO.”
Dalal Salameh, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, told Anadolu last May that the Palestinian National Council - the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) - was discussing the allocation to the Council.
The Central Council is a standing body of the National Council (the highest representative legislative body of the Palestinian people), and includes Palestinian factions, with the exception of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
It should be noted that Hamas has repeatedly expressed its refusal to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council, arguing that Abbas does not have the power to dissolve it.
The Palestinian Basic Law provides for the holding of parliamentary elections every four years.
However, the last legislative elections took place in 2006, more than twelve years ago.
The West Bank and the stranded Gaza Strip have remained politically divided since 2007, when Hamas took control of Gaza at the expense of rival Fatah.
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