Hamas rejects Abbas’ plan to dissolve Palestinian parliament

Hamas has denounced President Mahmoud Abbas’ plan to dissolve the largely defunct Palestinian parliament that it controls, calling it a move to “serve his partisan interests.” Abbas said on Saturday he intended to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council after a court decision that ordered the move and elections to be held within six months. The ruling was made by the Palestinian Constitutional Court in Ramallah, and Hamas said on Sunday it rejected the decision by a court “created by Abbas to legitimize his arbitrary decisions,” AFP reported. “Abbas should have extended his hands to [Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh’s invitation to hold a joint meeting, thereby ending the Palestinian division,” the statement said. “Abbas opted to ruin the Palestinian political system,” Hamas said, calling on Egypt to block the measure. Cairo has recently sought to reconcile Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah factions.