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HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Yasser Abed Rabbo has stepped down from his position as head of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, sources in Fatah said Wednesday.

Abed Rabbo handed his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, they said. The move formalized Abed Rabbo's ouster after months of speculation.

The head of the Palestinian Authority union of government employees, Bassam Zakarneh, had attacked Abed Rabbo for suppressing dissenting views and keeping him off the air.

The union chief had called on the president to dismiss Abed Rabbo.

According to the Fatah sources, the former PBC chief stepped down after a presidential order prevented him from fulfilling unspecified tasks. Abed Rabbo denied knowledge of such an order.

Abed Rabbo is Abbas' second-hand man in the PLO.

Last month, a Fatah website said Abed Rabbo had been removed from his post, and the Jordanian daily Al-Ghad reported in December on a feud between him and Abbas.

The newspaper said Abbas accused Abed Rabbo of turning people against the UN bid and his presidency, and decided to strip him of his official roles.