Abbas came under harsh criticism over his approach with Israel

Additional Reporting By Abdul Raheem Ali, IOL Staff

GAZA CITY, July 9 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmmoud Abbas has resigned from the Fatah party central committee, a Palestinian senior official said Tuesday night, July 8.

Abbas presented his letter of resignation to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who has yet to say whether he accepted it, said the official, who requested anonymity.

Fatah's Secretary General in Gaza City Ahmad Halas told IslamOnline.net that Abbas came under diatribe during a stormy meeting of the committee's members on Tuesday over his approach with Israel, especially on the issue of prisoner releases.

He said that members of the committee expressed dismay about Abbas' moderate approach on the issue of Palestinian prisoners and the Israeli incessant aggression on the Palestinian people.

Abbas, who helped co-found Fatah four decades ago, was to have met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday, July 9, but scrapped the meeting.

Sources close to Abbas said he had pulled out of the summit scheduled for Wednesday in protest at the Israeli government's handling of the controversial issue of prisoners releases.

However, the Fatah central committee unanimously rejected Abbas's resignation, a senior Fatah official and committee member said.

In a separate letter to the central committee, the prime minister challenged the organization to outline a different policy toward the Israeli government and said he was ready to step down if his own line was at fault.

Palestinian ministers have been angered by an Israeli government decision Sunday, July 8, to pave the way for the release of just 350 Palestinian prisoners, representing little more than five percent of those currently in detention.

"If Abbas were to resign, that would be the result of Israeli pressure because he secured a ceasefire, whereas Israel seems to want to provoke a (Palestinian) civil war," Sakher Habash, a fellow member of Fatah's central committee, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The United States, for its part, reaffirmed its support for Abbas after his resignation.

"Our position is that we stand behind prime minister Abbas," said State Department spokesman Philip Reeker.

"What we have seen under his leadership is ... constructive change ... empowerment for Palestinian governing institutions taking place, and his efforts to end terror and violence have presented a real opportunity to move forward," Reeker said.