Special report:Internal situation in Palestine

    RAMALLAH, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian lawmaker from the mainstream Fatah movement called Tuesday on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)-led government to step down and give the chance for a more efficient one.

    Azzam al-Ahmed, chief of Fatah parliamentary bloc and a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, made the call at a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

    He told the reporters that it's not acceptable to describe his movement as rebellious, referring to remarks by Hamas officials who consider early elections suggested by Fatah as a coup.

    Al-Ahmed stressed that Fatah has boosted principles of democracy, slamming the Hamas-dominated parliament for not acting well.

    Meanwhile, al-Ahmed revealed that President Abbas will deliver his expected speech on Saturday and will announce whether to hold early elections aiming at ending a political crisis.

    Talking about a call for holding a session to discuss the killing of three children in an attack on a senior security officer's family in Gaza on Monday, al-Ahmad expressed that "there's no need for a parliament that couldn't present any achievements till the moment."

    On Monday, unknown gunmen opened fire at a car of senior officer of the security intelligence service, killing his three children and his bodyguard and seriously wounding the driver.