Dweik calls for resuming and uniting PLC’s sessions in W. Bank and Gaza

Dr. Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian legislative council (PLC), on Tuesday called for necessarily looking for ways and means to resume and unite the parliamentary sessions in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

This came during an opening speech he gave over the telephone during a symposium organized by the center of political and development studies in Gaza entitled: “The political, legal and national dimensions of disabling the PLC in the West Bank”.

Dr. Dweik stressed the importance of the PLC’s role in enacting laws and regulations in order to serve the public interest and in monitoring and following up the government’s performance, noting that the Palestinian lawmakers in the West Bank are making arduous efforts to revitalize the work of the PLC.

The speaker also pointed out that it is impermissible for any Palestinian government to exercise its power before gaining the confidence of the PLC.

For his part, Hamas lawmaker Ismail Al-Ashqar stated during his participation in the symposium that the persistence of the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA) in disabling the PLC’s work and closing the parliament building is part of its security partnership with the Israeli occupation.

Ashqar called on the PA to end its complicity with Israel in undermining the role of the PLC in the West Bank, affirming that there is no difference between kidnapping lawmakers or preventing them from entering the parliament.

He underscored that Fatah has cooperated with all traitors at the expense of Palestine, used the political money to purchase consciences, and conferred legitimacy on those who lack national and moral principles.