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Hamas slams Abbas over forming first ever Palestinian constitutional court

Xinhua, April 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Islamic Hamas movement slammed on Monday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for instructing to form the first ever Palestinian constitutional court in the Palestinian territories.

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that Abbas' decision to form the court "was unilateral and was made without coordination with the movement."

Abu Zuhri added that his movement rejects the decision and considers it as "an illegal measure that reflects Abbas singularity and the negligence for a national partnership."

Abu Zuhri claimed that all the members of the court, who were nominated by Abbas, are members in Abbas Fatah Party, adding that "any decisions made by Abbas has to be done in coordination with other factions."

Abbas on Sunday instructed to form the first ever Palestinian constitutional court, according to the Palestinian state-run news agency WAFA report.

The report said the court includes nine members, the president of the court Mohamed al-Haj Qassem, his deputy Asa'ad Mubarak and seven others; two of them are from the Gaza Strip.

Hassan al-Ourri, an aid to President Abbas for legal issues told the agency that the court's main mission will be responsible for watching the constitutional laws, the regulations and other legal systems.

He went on saying that the court will also watch the interpretation and the explanation of the text of the basic law and other legislation.

The court would include professors in law, academics and experts in the constitutional laws and also former lawyers.

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA), chaired by Abbas since January 2005, was formed after Israel and the Palestinians signed Oslo peace accords in 1993 that was implemented in 1994. Endit