Newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has offered his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas, government sources say. It was not immediately clear whether Abbas had accepted the resignation, nor the reason behind it, BBC News reported.

Hamdallah, a British-educated academic and political independent, was sworn in on June 6. He replaced Salam Fayyad who stepped down in April after a long-running dispute with President Abbas.

The BBC says there are said to have been disagreements over his mandate. Hamdallah was given two deputies, one for political affairs and one for economic affairs, and Hamdallah's office said he submitted his resignation because of a "conflict over authority".

Hamdallah's cabinet had only met for the first time last week. It consisted mainly of members of the Fatah party, one of the two main Palestinian political factions, led by Abbas.

The other main faction, Hamas, described the appointment of Hamdallah as "illegal" because it was not a unity government formed as a result of a reconciliation agreement.

When he was appointed, Hamdallah stated his administration would rule only for "a transitional period" until a unity government was formed.

There has been a deep rift between the two main Palestinian factions since 2007, when Hamas set up a rival government in Gaza after ousting Fatah in clashes. The two factions are currently engaged in drawn-out reconciliation talks. Last month, officials on both sides announced plans to form a unity government by August that would then prepare for new elections.

Before his appointment as PM, Hamdallah had been known for his 15-year tenure as head of the al-Najah National University, and did not have a high profile as a politician.