Release Of Hamas Lawmakers Postponed
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - An Israeli military court Thursday postponed the release of 20 jailed Hamas lawmakers and government ministers while it considers an appeal by prosecutors. Last week Judge Ronen Atzmon, the deputy president of the Israel Defense Forces court system, ordered the army to free 20 of the 32 Hamas parliamentarians and ministers it had rounded up since the June 25 abduction of IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit by Hamas-affiliated terrorists. In that decision, Atzmon recognized there was a case against the men, but said their detention should only be sought once the prosecution was ready to go to trial. Following Thursday's appeal, the court agreed to hold a hearing next Monday on extending the prisoners' detention until trial proceedings could begin. The court rejected arguments from the defendants' lawyers that they enjoy diplomatic immunity as members of a recognized national parliament. Hamas is classified by Israel as a terrorist organization.
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