Israel to release speaker of Hamas parliament

RAMALLAH, June 17 -- Israel may release the speaker of the

Hamas-dominated Palestinian parliament in the coming few hours, his lawyer said

Wednesday.

The Israeli Military Court of Ofar, located in the occupied West Bank,

today rejected an appeal to extend the detention of Aziz al-Dewik, the

Hamas-affiliated head of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), who had been

arrested for three years, said Fadi al-Qawasmi, the lawyer.

"The rejection of the appeal means that the court ruled to release him,"

al-Qawasmi told Xinhua.

According to the Israeli law, al-Dewik should be set free today but he has

to pay an overdue fine of 5,000 New Israeli Shekel ($1,250), al-Qawasmi added.

Israel rounded up some 40 Hamas lawmakers from West Bank in June 2006 in

response to the capturing of an Israeli soldier by Hamas fighters in Gaza Strip.

Aziz al-Dewik, the PLC Speaker, was among the detainees. The Israeli

military court sentenced him for three years in prison, and al-Dewik has just

completed his 36-month detention sentence.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, still holds the Israeli Corporal

Gilad Shalit hostage and demands to release him under a prisoner exchange deal.