CAIRO: An argument erupted Tuesday between parliament Speaker Fathi Sorour and Hussein Ibrahim, head of the Muslim Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc, over the latter s proposal of a new draft law prohibiting export deals involving natural resources without the approval of the parliament The draft law also aims to stop gas exports to Israel and terminate previous contracts, especially after the Israeli assault on Gaza, according to Ibrahim. "We argued because Sorour deemed my proposal unconstitutional. I, however, think that it is constitutional, Ibrahim told Daily News Egypt. On the other hand, Sorour accused the Brotherhood of wasting the assembly's time. "It's bad enough you [Brotherhood] raised your shoes in the faces of other members, now you want us to talk about unimportant issues that are never resolved, he said. Ibrahim explained that the People's Assembly's legislative authority is responsible for contesting the executive authority - and should stipulate laws and regulations to govern its performance. Ibrahim disassociated his proposal from another lawsuit demanding a halt of gas exports to Israel altogether. "Regardless of this verdict or any other lawsuit that could be filed in the future, I will still persist on this draft law, he said. "I think it is important for my country to prohibit trading with a country that has committed serious crimes and massacres in Palestine. Ibrahim s proposal was rejected and will not be discussed by the PA s proposals and complaints committee. However, he said he will continue to pursue the draft law until it is discussed. On Monday, the PA decided to postpone the discussion of a parliamentary interpellation over the government's refusal to halt gas exports to Israel during the Gaza war. The interpellation criticized the government for exporting gas to Israel at cheap rates despite internal natural gas shortages, accused it of cooperating with Israel in blockading Gaza and not abiding by international principles. It also suggested that Egypt should not be supplying Israel with natural gas when the country is going through a serious gas crisis.
