Israeli reaction: Israeli politicians, having absorbed the initial shock of Hamas' stunning victory, were united yesterday in their conviction that Israel should not engage with the Islamic movement, which does not recognise the right of the Jewish state to exist and which has carried out most of the suicide bombings during the second Intifada uprising.
But with national elections only two months away in Israel, the politicians also spent much of yesterday blaming each other for Hamas' success in the Palestinian parliamentary elections.
While acting prime minister Ehud Olmert did not react immediately - he met last night with security officials to discuss Hamas's victory - the leader of the centre-right Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the unilateral nature of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last year for the election results.
However, Labour leader Amir Peretz said Hamas's victory meant it was likely Israel would have to take more unilateral steps. "We will not negotiate with a party that does not recognise Israel's right to exist," he said.
"If we have to, we will take unilateral measures . . . We will not become hostages to the changes in the Palestinian Authority."
Many Israelis have reached the conclusion that they cannot continue to rule over 3.5 million Palestinians, but at the same time they do not believe they can reach a negotiated peace deal with the Palestinians. This deep-seated sentiment is what has made Ariel Sharon's unilateral approach so popular.
Mr Olmert, who has replaced Mr Sharon - also as leader of the Kadima (Forward) party that Mr Sharon set up - is facing his first major test in his new position.
If he is seen to be too conciliatory in his reaction to Hamas, which is also considered a terror organisation by the US and the EU, he will be open to attacks from the Likud.
Mr Netanyahu, who resigned as finance minister last year in protest over the withdrawal from Gaza, argued yesterday that the unilateral pullout, which Mr Olmert strongly supported, had strengthened Hamas and contributed directly to its electoral victory.
"The state of 'Hamastan' has been created in front of our very eyes, a satellite of Iran, in the image of the Taliban," he said.
"The policy of unreciprocated withdrawals was a reward to Hamas terror."
But if Mr Olmert adopts a hardline stance and threatens sanctions, including the freezing of customs duties Israel owes the Palestinian Authority and other punitive measures, he could face international pressure to respect the outcome of a democratic election.
While Mr Netanyahu may seem the obvious beneficiary of a Hamas victory, it might ultimately be Mr Olmert's Kadima that benefits.
The results are likely to strengthen the view held by many Israelis that there is no negotiating partner on the Palestinian side and that Israel must therefore take unilateral measures - such as uprooting isolated settlements - to establish a border in the West Bank, as it did in Gaza.
Much will also depend on how Hamas conducts itself in government. If it continues the period of calm it has adhered to over the last year and refrains from attacks, then international pressure on Israel to engage with the Islamic movement will grow.