RAMALLAH, West Bank, (Reuters):
HAMAS LEGISLATORS voted yesterday to revoke all decisions made by the previous Palestinian Parliament at its final session last month, including laws that gave President Mahmoud Abbas wider powers to appoint some judges.
The move was seen as a challenge to Abbas, whose once-dominant Fatah faction suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of Hamas in parliamentary elections on Jan. 25.
A senior Abbas aide accused Hamas of attempting to oust the Palestinian president.
"We see this as a coup attempt to change the regime and they (Hamas) have to seriously reconsider their decisions," said Tayeb Abdel-Rahim.
NO LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL
In the final session of the previous Parliament on Feb. 13, majority Fatah members pushed through an amendment to an existing law, giving Abbas power to appoint judges to a constitutional court without seeking legislative approval.
