Palestinians confirm arrest of Hamas official

The Palestinian Authority has confirmed the arrest by its police of a leader of the militant Hamas movement, Abdel-Aziz al-Rantisi, on suspicion of defamation, incitement and sedition.

It said he had accused the Authority and its negotiating team at the failed Camp David peace talks in the United States of treason and ceding Palestinian national rights during the negotiations with Israel.

The attorney-general, Khaled al-Qidra, said such comments directly harmed internal security at a critical time for the Palestinian cause and Mr Rantisi's arrest was therefore a state security issue, not a matter of freedom of speech. This was rejected by the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who said it was sad that some Palestinians were ready to interpet the opinions of others as incitement.

Mr Rantisi's arrest had earlier been reported by Hamas which said it took place late on Saturday.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service