Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began talks with leaders of election winner Hamas today on forming a government headed by the Islamic militant group.
Islamic Jihad leaer Nafez Azzam
Hamas officials said they expected Mr Abbas to ask the group's choice for prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, to put together a government. Earlier, Hamas held talks with militant factions, one of which, Islamic Jihad, declined to join up.
Once Mr Abbas gives the nod to Mr Haniyeh, a Hamas leader viewed by many Palestinians as a pragmatist, the 43-year-old Gazan will have up to five weeks to form an administration.
Hamas, which is dedicated to Israel's destruction, crushed Mr Abbas's Fatah faction in the January 25th parliamentary election on a platform pledging to root out corruption in the Palestinian Authority.
In a speech to the new parliament last Saturday, Mr Abbas appealed to a future Hamas government to recognise past peace deals with Israel and commit itself to pursuing statehood through talks but stopped short of setting conditions for forming a cabinet.
Hamas swiftly rejected Mr Abbas's call, but neither the group nor the president appeared ready for an immediate showdown.
Islamic Jihad, which was responsible for a number of recent bombings in Israel and whose West Bank commander was killed overnight by Israeli troops, has said it feared a Hamas-led government would be restricted in its policy by interim Israeli-Palestinian peace accords - which both militant groups reject.
"We will not participate in the government but we will stand beside Hamas in the project of resistance to protect the interests of our people," Islamic Jihad leader Nafez Azzam said after talks in Gaza with Hamas officials.
Hamas said that despite Islamic Jihad's decision, it would leave the door open for the group to join the government in the future.
A Hamas delegation also met leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Prior to the talks, Hamas said its goal was to establish as broad a coalition as possible as it faced a cut off in vital tax funds from Israel and a threatened boycott by major powers if it refused to renounce violence and recognise the Jewish state.