Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Resigns

(7 Mar 09 - RV) The Palestinian prime minister submitted his resignation today ahead of power sharing talks between moderate and militant Palestinians. Salam Fayyad was appointed prime minister by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in June 2007, in response to the violent takeover of Gaza by the Islamic militant Hamas.
Abbas and the Fayyad government control the West Bank, while Hamas continues to rule Gaza, despite a recent three-week Israeli military offensive there.
His decision to step down is being seen as a confidence-building measure, ahead of the resumption of Palestinian reconciliation talks on Tuesday in Cairo. But Gershon Baskin, the co-director of the Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information, says that the move could be aimed at preventing the establishment of the unity government.