RAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug 7 (AFP) - Two Palestinian ministers have handed in their resignations but neither has been officially accepted, a source in the office of Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei told AFP on Saturday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said justice minister Nahed al-Rais and planning minister Nabil Kassis had both handed in their notices over the last few weeks.
The two resignations come at a bad time for the Palestinian leadership, which is struggling to contain increasing unrest and lawlessness in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Rais had tendered his resignation on Wednesday over a conflict of authority with the higher judicial council but it was unlikely to be accepted, he said.
Kassis had been planning to step down from his position for some time in order to go into the private sector, the source added.
It was not exactly clear when Kassis handed in his notice but it was within the last few weeks, the source said.
Rais confirmed his resignation to AFP but would only say he had not yet received a satisfactory response from Qorei.
And a senior official in Rais' ministry also told AFP: "The justice minister told prime minister Ahmed Qorei several days ago he could not stay in the post if his authority was not confirmed over the prosecutor's office and the courts."
According to the Palestinian basic law, the prosecutor's office falls under the authority of the justice ministry but is in practice controlled by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, he added, also requesting anonymity.
"This authority has become indispensable for the law to be respected in the face of this chaotic situation (in the Palestinian territories)," he said.
Arafat's Palestinian Authority is facing repeated calls to implement much-needed reforms and to crack down on the corruption which remains rife in both the government and the sprawling security services.