Hamas: Israel is not a peace partner

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said it will hold consultations with the Palestinian president and with the Fatah Movement and other Palestinian groups in order to agree on a formula for the political partnership in the coming phase, ruling out that Abbas will resign.

Commenting on the movement's winning of the elections, the head of the Hamas list, Islah Wal-Tagheir said that the voting of the Palestinian for Hamas is a referendum for reforms and resistance. He stressed that his movement will be faithful on the assets of the Palestinian people and will work to serve all Palestinians who voted for them or not.

He indicated that Hamas's 76 seats as well as four seats for the independents it had backed, three of them were in Gaza and one in Toulkarem, and thereby its members is 80 at the 132 member Legislative Council.

Fatah got 43 seats divided between 27 seats in the lists and 16 in the circles, while the independents got 4 seats while other seats were distributed on other parliamentary seats. The list of Abu Ali Mustafa got three seats and the lists of al-Badil, the independent Palestine, and al-Tareeq got three seats for each.

In the first political statement pertinent to Israel, Hamas said after its victory: it is ready to extend the current truce if case Israel honors it. The leading figure in the movement Mahmoud al-Zahhar said that Hamas is not a partner in the peace process with Israel and is not ready to make negotiations with it.

This came amid continued celebrations by Hamas supporters of its winning the elections as thousands of Palestinians took the streets in marches in the west bank and Gaza expressing their happiness over this victory.