Legal expert: Abbas can't dissolve PA legislature

"Qalqilia - Palestinian legal expert Sameer Sa'adudin has affirmed that legally speaking PA chief Mahmoud Abbas lacks the legal authority to dissolve the Palestinian legislature, and that his authorities were limited to calling for presidential elections if he wishes to do so.

"There is no text in the PA bylaw allowing the PA chief to transcend his authorities or cancel Palestinian democracy", Sameer affirmed during a forum organized by the popular committee for the defense of kidnapped lawmakers and PA ministers in Qalqilia city Sunday.

He derided the recommendation made by the PLO's executive committee to Abbas to go for early presidential and legislative elections, questioning "I really don’t know on what basis they (members of the committee) have made the recommendation. It seems that the rule of jungle was the basis of the recommendation".

He also proved that the PLO's committee lacks popular and legal legitimacy, saying "members of the committee were bypassed by time as they allege to be guardians of the interests of the Palestinian people while in fact they were the ones exploiting sufferings of the people to achieve personal goals".

Hamas flayed the committee for transcending the PA bylaw that was drafted by members of Fatah faction, adding that any attempt to overthrow the Palestinian legitimacy will deepen the internal rift in the Palestinian arena.

Hamas has been calling for unity government since it was commissioned by Abbas to form the tenth PA government after it swept the legislative elections last January.

Fatah faction rejected Hamas' stretched hand for unity government and influenced others not to join any Hamas-led government, prompting Hamas to form the government alone.

Last July, Abbas threatened to go into referendum over the national harmony document; but after it was signed and agreed-upon by all Palestinian factions that considered it as basis for any unity government, Fatah faction and the PA presidency announced that the document isn’t enough to meet international community demands.

The Quartet Committee wants the Hamas-led government recognizes the Israeli occupation of 78% of the Palestinian lands, which the Movement rightly rejected and vowed to preserve national constants of the Palestinian people. "