Gaza: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has tightened his grip on power by stripping the parliamentary immunity of five lawmakers seen as opposing him, weeks after being reappointed chairman of the main political party.
The move follows a decision by a Palestinian court last week to sentence Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah party member and vocal Abbas critic, to three years in prison over the disappearance of $16m when he was in office several years ago.
While Abbas has no immediate challengers, he appears to be at pains to shore up his authority amid criticism over his rule from neighbouring Arab states, from the Hamas Islamist movement and from Israel.
Some Palestinians say Abbas has achieved little during his 11-year presidency, with no progress on peace with the Israelis. While Palestine has earned representation at the United Nations, efforts to stall Israel’s settlement building on occupied land have failed, and the economy struggles.
Dahlan, who frequently assails Abbas’ leadership from his self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi, was tried, convicted and sentenced in absentia. He has dismissed the sentence as politically motivated and “ordered by Abbas”.
All five of those who had their immunity from prosecution revoked are regarded as allies or associates of Dahlan.
Hassan Al Awri, Abbas’ legal adviser, said the attorney general had asked Abbas to strip them of their immunity so they could be “investigated over a number of issues”.
He did not provide details, but Palestinian media cited a number of broadbrush accusations. Three of the five sought refuge in the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ramallah on Sunday, before police escorted them out of the building. They were not detained since they are not wanted for anything, a spokesman for the Palestinian security services said.
Shami Al Shami, one of the five, said the removal of his immunity was an infringement of his rights. His association with Dahlan, he said, was not a crime.
“(This) was an absolute violation of Palestinian law and the constitution,” he said by phone. “If I have a personal relationship with Dahlan, this is none of anyone’s business. I should only be judged by the law.”
Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief, was removed from the party’s central committee at a party congress this month, the first Fatah gathering in seven years — a reflection of the difficulty of convening delegates from around the world and the lack of issues to discuss. The four-day meeting reaffirmed Abbas, 81, as party chairman.
