Palestinian Parliament Shuts Down

Abdullah said he believes his party's numerical advantage is the main reason behind what he portrayed as Hamas' reluctance to convene parliament. The legislature hasn't passed any laws since Hamas' election, and the last full session was held in September.

Hamas accused Fatah of playing into Israel's hands, saying the lawmakers' arrests were meant to weaken parliament. "They (Fatah lawmakers) want to help the Zionists remove Hamas from power," said Hamas legislator Mushir al-Masri.

Deputy Speaker Ahmed Bahar of Hamas, filling in for the imprisoned speaker, denied politics played a part in his decision to call off the last two sessions, including Tuesday's.

He said legislators were either sick or abroad, and that the technician who operates the video hookup between simultaneous parliament sessions in the West Bank and Gaza _ a device to get around Israeli travel restrictions _ didn't show up for work because of alleged threats.

The main reason, he said, was the trip to Indonesia, which is being funded in part by the Indonesian hosts.

"This time, there is a big delegation that has to leave," Bahar said. "They've been planning this trip for more than two months, and it just so happened that they had to leave at the same time that the session was called."

Pollster Nader Said of the West Bank's Bir Zeit University said most Palestinians did not have high expectations of the legislature to begin with, and that the long recess hasn't changed that view. Parliament is one the least regarded institutions, he said, on par only with the Cabinet.

"It's not one of the priorities to activate the legislative council," Said said of the public's concerns. "They are more concerned about internal fighting."

The previous, Fatah-controlled legislature, was widely seen as a rubber stamp for Arafat, the autocratic ruler who died two years ago. However, lawmakers did pass a forerunner to a constitution and were able exercise some oversight over the government.

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Associated Press writers Dalia Nammari in Ramallah and Diaa Hadid in Jerusalem contributed to this report.