Members of the Islamist militant group, Hamas, have rejected calls to commit to peace talks and previous accords with Israel.
At the inaugural session of the newly-elected assembly, the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas asked Hamas to form the next government following its victory in last month’s parliamentary election.
A senior Israeli government official has warned that the Palestinian Authority would define itself as a 'hostile entity' if the new Hamas-led government did not recognise Israel's right to exist.
Hamas's speaker of parliament, Abdul Aziz Duaik said the group could not negotiate under Israeli occupation.
