Tuesday, March 7 2006 11:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jerusalem: Triggering a major confrontation with Fatah party, Hamas-dominated-Palestinian Legisltative Council has voted to strip Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of certain powers provided by the Fatah-led previous government through certain legislations.

The crisis, the worst since Hamas scored a landslide victory in January's general elections, kicked off following a PLC session held in Ramallah and Gaza City yesterday(Mar 6,2006), through video conferencing, decided to annul a number of legislations carried out by the Fatah-led previous government soon after the parliamentary elections.

The move evoked a strong response from Abbas' Fatah party with his close aide Tayeb Abdel Rahim dubbing the vote as 'an attempt to stage a coup against the Chairman'.

"Hamas is trying to change the regime in Palestine. We urge it to reconsider its tactics which jeopardise national unity," Abdel Rahim said.

The most contentious of the legislations passed by the previous government empowers Abbas to revoke laws and even dissolve the PLC.

They also gave the Chairman the authority to appoint a new nine-judge constitutional court, without seeking legislative approval, which would have veto powers over legislations passed by the new PLC.

The court was also authorised to serve as an arbiter in the event of disputes between Abbas on the one hand and the Hamas-controlled cabinet and parliament on the other.

Hamas legislators pointed out that the new court would consist of Fatah-affiliated judges who were most likely to rule in favour of Abbas.