The outgoing Palestinian parliament used its final session on Monday to give Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas broad new powers, infuriating Hamas just days before the Islamic group is due to take control of a suddenly weakened legislature.
The new legislation was designed to preserve Abbas' control over the Palestinian Authority, though it was unlikely to assuage international concerns about dealing with a Hamas-led government.
Hamas officials said they would immediately try to overturn the laws after the new parliament is sworn in on Saturday.
"I think this session was illegal. It is a kind of bloodless coup," said Abdel Aziz Duaik, an incoming Hamas legislator.
The new law "puts complete authority in the hands of the president," he added.
Abbas' Fatah Party, which dominated Palestinian politics for four decades, was roundly defeated by Hamas in Jan. 25 parliamentary elections. Abbas was elected last year to a four-year term.
In their final session with a parliamentary majority, Fatah lawmakers gave Abbas the authority to appoint a new, nine-judge constitutional court, which would serve as the final arbiter in disputes between him and a Hamas parliament and Cabinet. The court could also veto legislation deemed to violate the Palestinians' Basic Law, which acts as a quasi-constitution.
Legal expert Issam Abdeen said the legislation would essentially give Abbas power over what laws the new parliament passed "since he is the one who appoints the judges of the constitutional court."
"He can use [these powers] to nullify laws that are unacceptable to him. If Hamas now approves Islamic laws, he could say it is against the constitution," Abdeen said.
Hamas spokesman Said Siyam called parliament's actions "illegitimate" and said Hamas would overturn the laws when the new parliament takes over.
"The parliament has no mandate and no authority to issue any new legislation," he said.
Hamas, which won 74 seats in the 132-member parliament, would need a two-thirds majority -- or 88 seats -- to buck Abbas and change Monday's legislation. Fatah controls 45 seats and could block a coalition of Hamas and smaller parties from revoking the law if it maintains party unity.
Lawmakers also appointed Fatah loyalists to four key jobs, including the head of the government watchdog group in charge of weeding out corruption. Hamas won election on a platform promising to end years of Fatah nepotism, graft and mismanagement.
Palestinian political analyst Talal Okal said parliament's actions worsened the already tough challenge facing Hamas as it tries to flex its muscle in a Palestinian bureaucracy filled with Fatah loyalists.
"Hamas will be in a difficult position. It will be running a government from its head, but the whole body will be Fatah," he said.
The strengthening of Abbas, a moderate who seeks to resume peace talks with Israel, came as Israel worked to diplomatically isolate Hamas if it does not renounce violence and recognize the Jewish state.
Since Hamas' victory, Western nations have threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in badly needed aid unless the group, which is responsible for dozens of suicide bombings, transforms itself.
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