By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta GAZA/RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has quietly established a constitutional court that analysts say concentrates more power in his hands and may allow him to sideline the Islamist group Hamas in the event of a succession struggle. The nine-member body, which will have supremacy over all lower courts, was created without fanfare by presidential decree on April 3 and will be inaugurated once its ninth member is sworn in at a ceremony on Monday, officials said. Critics say the body is packed with jurists from Abbas's Fatah party and risks deepening Palestinian political divisions.
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April 11th, 2016
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