Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad steps down

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned on Monday amid a desire for change sweeping Arab world.

Accepting the resignation, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas asked Fayyad to form a new government within three weeks, with the option of a two- week extension if required, reports said.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority said over the weekend that it would hold long-overdue presidential and parliamentary elections by September, according to RTT News.

Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has already asked Fayyad to remain as Prime Minister. And the international community, which donates more than half of the authority's budget, has signaled that it will accept only Fayyad as head of the Finance Ministry.

Fatah leaders are still grappling with the party's reputation for corruption and nepotism that plagued previous governments under deceased PLO leader Yasser Arafat, Los Angeles Times reports.