Israel Matzav

Judicial 'reform,' 'Palestinian' style

Hamas has decided to enact judicial 'reforms.' To that end, Hamas' 'executive force' has detained 'Palestinian Attorney General' Ahmed al-Mughani and his bodyguards. Al-Mughani is the highest ranking 'official' of 'moderate' 'Palestinian President' Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen's Fatah movement to be detained by Hamas since they 'took over' the Gaza Strip in June.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas as to why Mughani was detained.

On July 31, a hardline Hamas leader said the group aimed to reform the judicial system in Gaza to try Fatah members for alleged graft.

"We are going to reform and reconstruct the judicial system," said Mahmud Zahar, who served as foreign minister in the first cabinet that Hamas formed after it swept a legislative election in January 2006.

"The judicial system should be established again, reformed again ... in order to put these documents in front of them and to prepare ... (a) proper trial" for Fatah officials whom the Islamists accuse of corruption.

Zahar was referring to documents he presented, which he said proved the "corruption" of Fatah officials.

But give them a state reichlet and all of this will be resolved.

Update 4:30 PM

The Jerusalem Post is now reporting that Mughani was beaten.

Hamas forces on Thursday arrested the Fatah-allied Palestinian Chief Prosecutor, two days after he returned to the Gaza Strip to prevent his firing by Hamas.

Witnesses said the Hamas forces beat Ahmed Mughami and his bodyguard, sticking them in the back with rifles, as they forced them out of the attorney general's office in Gaza City. A human rights activist filming the incident was also arrested, witnesses said.

Hamas said in a statement that Mughami had "smuggled very important and dangerous information" to an undisclosed location and had violated the law.

Mughami was appointed a year ago by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. He had not returned to the Gaza Strip since Hamas's bloody takeover of the area in mid-June. Abbas has since fired Hamas from the unity government and installed a Western-backed Cabinet in the West Bank.

Yasser Arafat would be proud.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:16 PM