Senior Palestine Liberation Organization official Hanan Ashrawi announced her resignation on Wednesday, saying that Palestinian politics needed a “renewal.”
Ashrawi said she had informed Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas last month of her decision to leave at the end of the year. When the decision leaked, however, she announced her immediate resignation, according to AP.
“The Palestinian political system needs renewal and reinvigoration with the inclusion of youth, women, and additional qualified professionals,” she said in a statement. “It is incumbent upon us all to assume our individual responsibilities and to carry out our duties with honesty and integrity, including by facilitating this needed change.”
Abbas’s office said it accepted her resignation, according to the report.
Ashrawi was a harsh critic of Israel in the international media and was involved in peace talks with the Jewish state. She has also been critical of the Palestinian leadership.
