Hamas approves death penalty law despite government opposition

The Islamic Hamas movement approved a death penalty law Wednesday despite the Palestinian consensus government's opposition.

Hamas's inoperative Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) said in an emailed press statement that parliament has approved the law according to a judiciary just criteria.

The PLC, which is fully controlled by Hamas, has never fully convened its 132 legislatures since the internal discord between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party in 2007.

According to the statement, the law was approved by Hamas' PLC legislators during the legislative boycott of Fatah and other Palestinian political faction representatives.

Mohamed al-Ghoul, Hamas legislator and head of the PLC's legal committee told Xinhua that the law was approved by parliament, hence paving the road for court execution verdicts in the Gaza Strip.

He rejected the Palestinian consensus government's opposition of the law who claim that Palestinian law states that any death penalty must be approved by the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

"Abbas' term as a president ended in 2009 and the consensus government is currently practicing illegally, therefore this government, which lacks parliamentary approval has no right to reject our law," said al-Ghoul.

Hamas attorney general Ismail Jabber stated earlier that there are 13 death penalty cases awaiting execution approval.

The consensus government in the West Bank said in a statement that approving the inoperative PLC law which Hamas controls "is illegal," adding that "Hamas is only a movement, not a government in order to issue laws and execute them." Enditem