Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has resigned as the Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s executive committee, it has been announced.

At a PLO committee session on Saturday night Mr Abbas announced that he would be resigning as head of the PLO. He will retain his post as Palestinian Authority president, however.

Along with the news of Mr Abbas’s resignation, it was also announced that over half of the 18-member PLO executive committee were joining him.

PLO official Wassel Abu Yussef said: "The resignation of the president of the executive committee Mahmud Abbas and more than half of its members has created a legal vacuum”.

The move won’t have an immediate effect however, as Mr Abbas will stay in his post until the Palestinian National Council - the equivalent of the Palestinian parliament - accepts his resignation.

The Palestinian National Council has called for an election to take place in the next month to select a new executive committee.