Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat resigned Saturday apparently after an investigation commission found him responsible for documents on the Mideast peace process being leaked to broadcaster Al Jazeera, dpa reported.
Erekat handed in his resignation to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, according to a statement read by secretary Yaser Abed Rabbo at the end of the committee's meeting.
Rabbo did not say if Abbas had accepted the resignation, but said that it would be reviewed.
Erekat, who was not immediately available for comment, had earlier said he would resign if the commission investigating the leak of the documents, known as the Palestine Papers, determined that it was through his staff.
Three former staff members were believed to be behind the leak, giving Al Jazeera a first-hand look at more than 1,600 documents about years of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Al Jazeera aired news of the documents over four days and published them on its website.
The documents created a massive uproar among Palestinians as they revealed that their negotiators, headed by Erekat, and Abbas were willing to make serious compromises on core issues, including Jerusalem, borders and refugees.
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