Israeli court postpones ruling on jailed PLC speaker

Date: 07 / 06 / 2009 Time: 19:50

A PLC employee hangs up posters supporting Aziz Dweik [Ma'anImages]

Nablus – Ma’an – An Israeli military court in the settlement of Ofer, near Ramallah, delayed a ruling on Sunday on whether to release the Palestinian parliament speaker from prison until Monday.

According to Fadi Al-Qawasmi, the lawyer representing Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) speaker Aziz Dweik, the court could rule on Monday to release him until his trial resumes or increase his prison sentence until his term in the PLC expires.

Sunday’s hearing took place in accordance with a military prosecution order wherein Dweik, a Hamas member, is scheduled to be released by mid June.

The Israeli military seized Dweik and 19 other members of the PLC in the summer of 2006 following the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by militants from Gaza. Hamas’ Change and Reform Bloc swept to victory in elections earlier that year.