Hamas condemns Israeli rearrest of former Palestinian Legislative Council speaker

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Palestinian group Hamas condemned the arrest of Aziz Dweik, speaker of the now-disbanded Palestinian Legislative Council, by the Israeli army just days after his release from prison.

In a statement, Hamas said the decision to re-arrest Dweik was carried out in "a brutal and retaliatory manner," holding Israel fully responsible for his life and safety.

Hamas said Israel would fail to break the will of Palestinian detainees, urging parliaments and rights' groups worldwide to urgently exert pressure on Israel for his and all detainees' release from Israeli jails.

Dweik was freed by Israeli authorities last week after nearly nine months of detention with no formal charges brought against him.

The 75-year-old was arrested on Oct. 17 last year and issued a six-month order for administrative detention, which he has already served in prison.

Under Israeli military law, administrative detention is a measure allowing for individuals to be jailed for up to six months without any formal charges against them.

Dweik, who is from Hebron, became speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council after Hamas won a majority in the 2006 parliamentary elections until Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced in late 2018 that the Constitutional Court in Ramallah had decided to dissolve the council.