Mahmoud Ramahi, a leading member of the Hamas party, accused the Palestinian Security Forces of arresting six employees of the Palestinian Legislative Council without cause, after they left their Ramallah offices on Sunday afternoon. Ramahi told the Maan News Agency that the violations against Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) members and their employees are ongoing, and that such violations are being escalated.
Ramahi added that directly after a conference held by PLC head, Dr. Aziz Dweik, the Palestinian security forces stopped several vehicles and arrested six employees of the legislative council.
“They did not stop my car, but they stopped other cars and arrested the six employees”, he said.
The six were identified as Firas Abbad, Baha’ Faraj, Ibrahim Sabe’, Murad Abu Al Baha’, Khaldoun Al Mathloum and Abdullah Ghannam.
“They are all PLC employees and should be respected”, Ramahi stated, “They are official employees who receive salaries from the government”.
Adnan Dameery, spokesperson of the Palestinian Security Forces, said that PLC employees do not enjoy diplomatic immunity, and that the Security Forces had to detain them due to certain suspicions, and released them after interrogation.
The PLC slammed the arrest and described it as an act of piracy and a dangerous indication for rejecting the efforts to achieve national unity.
PLC members in the Gaza Strip held president Abbas responsible for the lives of all political prisoners in Palestinian prisons, and added such violations have direct negative impacts on reconciliation efforts.
Ramahi, whose Hamas party holds 74 seats out of a possible 133, is the secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
