Ismail Haniyeh
Photo: AP
IDF arrests 2 Hamas lawmakers
Khaled Tapas, Dr. Maryam Salah detained during IDF operation in Bethlehem, al-Bireh. Hamas says arrests aimed at hindering parliament's routine work
IDF forces operating in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and el-Bireh on Sunday night arrested two Palestinian parliament members on behalf of Hamas, Khaled Tapas and Dr. Maryam Salah. A third Hamas lawmaker was arrested several days ago in Hebron.
Hamas claimed that the arrests were a ploy devised by Israel to help Fatah, by hindering the organization's attempts to hold routine parliament meetings, which need a certain number of members in attendance in order to take place.
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In the last two weeks however, as tensions between Hamas and Fatah began rising again and after Hamas claimed that it would be able to keep its parliamentary work going despite the limited attendance of its members, the IDF has resumed the arrests.
Hamas further claimed that it had recently held a parliament meeting with its prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, as well as with its Ramallah members attending.
The meeting's location was kept secret, said a source in Hamas, in order to avoid any attempt on the attendees' lives, either by Fatah or by the IDF.
Sources in the Palestinian Authority told Ynet that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was considering passing a bill that would dissolve the current Palestinian legislative council, in which Hamas takes part.
