Palestinian Legislative Council calls for discharging security chief

The Palestinian Legislative Council renewed its demand for the discharge of the head of the preventive security bodies in the West Bank, Colonel Jibril Rajoub, until the completion of an investigation into an attack by members of this body on a group of the Palestinian deputies last week.

Members of the Palestinian preventive security body attacked six Palestinian deputies by hitting them during their attempt to visit the family of Imad Awadallah from Hamas who fled from prison two weeks earlier.

Awadallah is accused of participating in killing one of the higher military officials in Hamas.

Shortly after the incident, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat ordered the lifting of a siege imposed on the home and formed a military investigation committee to study the attacks made by members of the preventive security body on deputies in the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Arafat also phoned Jerusalem deputy Hatem Abdul Qader in the hospital to make sure of his health, after Abdul Qader was hit on his head by a member of the preventive security body during his attempt with a group of deputies to visit Awadallah's family.