Lawmakers from Hamas convened a session of the Palestinian parliament Wednesday for the first time since the group violently seized Gaza from the rival Fatah movement last June.
With around 40 Hamas parliamentarians in Israeli jails and Fatah members staying away, only 28 of the legislature's 132 members took their seats in Gaza City's seafront parliament building.
Another seven took part by conference call from the West Bank abroad and lawmakers present - all from, or backed by, Hamas - said 35 of their jailed colleagues had appointed proxies, bringing the total number to 70, just over the 67 required for a quorum. Fatah said the tactic was not legal.
|