RAMALLAH, Apr 27, 2012 (AFP) - The Palestinian telecommunications minister on Friday said he has resigned "for personal reasons," after the public prosecutor ordered the closure of several political websites.
"I tendered my resignation two weeks ago, and the prime minister Salam Fayyad accepted it yesterday (Thursday)," Mashour Abu Daqqa told AFP, citing "personal reasons" which he did not elaborate on.
The move follows the public prosecutor's decision to block a number of websites carrying information on internal Palestinian politics which were critical of president Mahmud Abbas, a decision that drew condemnation from rights groups and the United States.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Wednesday, when asked about the Palestinian websites being blocked, that she was "concerned about any uses of technology that would restrict access to information."
"We are raising these concerns with the Palestinian Authority," she added.
Fayyad's government was due to give way to a consensus government, after West Bank rulers Fatah agreed last year to reconcile with rival movement Hamas, which would in turn pave the way for presidential and legislative polls by around May.
But the process has hit repeated roadblocks, with the formation of the interim government proving difficult.
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