Palestinian police chief criticizes Palestinian court

The chairman of the Palestinian police, General Ghazi El-Gebali, criticized the interference of the Palestinian courts in the issue of detaining Abdul Aziz al- Rantisi, the spokesman of the Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, and its decision to release him.

El-Gebali considered the court's decision incorrect interference because the decision came due to administrative concerns and not judicial procedures saying "It is an attempt to keep us from preventing crime beforehand and not as per the emergency's law."

He said that Rantisi contradicted pledges he made in the presence of the Palestinian presidency's secretary general, al-Tayeb Abdul Rehim, and other officials not to stir up riots and turmoil.

El-Gebali added that he used his power, stated by Palestinian law and not canceled by administrative rules, to detain persons "as an administrative procedure that has nothing to do with the judiciary," implying that the courts have no control over this matter.

He said, "The interference of the superior court of justice, as a judicial command in al-Rantisi's case is inappropriate, while its interference in the case of one of Hamas' leaders, Ibrahim Makadmeh is correct."