A Palestinian security chief in Gaza has handed in a letter of resignation in a further sign of internal discord in the Palestinian Authority over arrests of militants, Palestinian sources said today.
Mr Mohammed Dahlan, chief of Palestinian Preventive Security in Gaza, took the action this week to express dissatisfaction with President Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, the sources said.
Mr Arafat did not accept the resignation.
Palestinian analyst Mr Ghassan al-Khatib, who has close contacts with Palestinian officials, said Mr Dahlan would likely remain in his position and had handed in his resignation as a symbolic act of protest.
The Palestinian sources said the resignation letter resulted from Mr Dahlan's dissatisfaction with the leadership's handling of the political situation with Israel and its lack of direction, specifically regarding the arrest of militants.
Israel and the United States have pressured President Arafat to crack down on militants responsible for attacks against Israelis.
The Palestinian Authority has recently arrested people affiliated with militant groups, but Israel says they are no longer active members.
"This is just a way of expressing protest or opinion, it doesn't have practical consequences," Mr Khatib said. "He [Mr Dahlan] is trying to contribute to changing some of the things that he is not happy with.
"It's a sign of internal difficulties because of the contradictions and difficulties coming from the pressure from outside and the pressure from inside," Mr Khatib added.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian committee representing Islamic and nationalist groups staged a demonstration in Ramallah today in protest at the arrest by Palestinian police of suspected radicals.