Science, Culture and Sport Minister Raleb Majadele on Saturday said Israel must negotiate with the new Palestinian unity government, Army Radio reported.

According to Majadele, a Labor MK, Israel must not boycott the moderate Fatah members appointed to the new government.

"Half the cabinet members are Oslo [Accords] people who have already signed agreements with Israel," Israel Radio quoted Majadele as saying.

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Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh also called for negotiations with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Army Radio reported.

"It [negotiations with Abbas] would pull the carpet under Hamas' feet," Army Radio quoted Sneh as saying. "We must seize the authorization given to Abu Mazen [Abbas] by the half-Hamas government to negotiate with Israel."

On the opposing side, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert accused the incoming Palestinian unity government on Saturday of endorsing the use of terror to achieve statehood, and ruled out cooperation between Israel and the new government.

"This policy guideline that we have seen this morning includes in it, specifically, the way to achieve a Palestinian state is through resistance. Resistance is terror. Nobody should get that one wrong," said the spokeswoman, Miri Eisin.

"We're not going to work with this government. This government does not recognize our existence, it does not recognize the treaties, and most important, does not in any way renounce terror," she said.

In a speech before the Palestinian parliament, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said earlier Saturday that the new Palestinian unity government puts emphasis on Palestinians' right to resist occupation in every way.

In a separate speech Saturday, Abbas said the Palestinians were "extending" a hand to Israel.

According to Army Radio, Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin said Abbas' Saturday speech "holds within it an opportunity for both peoples, and the unity government may constitute a positive historic turning point."

Beilin called on the Israeli government to present a political initiative to reach an agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by Abbas, the radio said.

MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) on Saturday called on the international community to lift aid boycott on the PA and promote final arrangement negotiations between Israel and the PLO, the radio reported.

"The Israeli diplomacy that demanded the international community impose a ban on the Palestinian unity government has failed," Tibi said.

According to Army Radio, Zalman Shoval, head of Likud's Foreign Policy Bureau, blamed Israel for helping the international community lift the aid boycott on Hamas.

"The government in negotiating with Abu-Mazen while he is actually accepting Hamas' position on not recognizing Israel and on the right of return," the radio quoted Shoval as saying.


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