The Israeli acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said on Thursday evening that a Palestinian Authority led by Hamas cannot be a partner in peace, adding that the world will not cooperate with a Hamas led government.
He claimed that any government led by Hamas, or a government which Hamas is a part of, is considered an authority that supports "terrorism".
"Israel, and the world, will ignore this government", he said, "It will become irrelevant".
The overwhelming victory of Hamas in the Palestinian legislative elections, on Wednesday, caused a storm in the Israeli government and among several Israeli politicians while Israel is approaching general elections in March.
The right wing in Israel blamed Kadima party, which was formed by Sharon, while other parties like Labor and Meretz boosted their calls for further unilateral moves.
The acting Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said that Israel should wait for post-election developments on the Palestinian side, and demanded that Palestinian Authority to "fulfill its obligations", while threatening that Israel will continue its operations in the Palestinian territories.
An analysis presented by the Israeli intelligence during a security meeting suggested that Hamas will maintain a period of calm, in the short term, adding that some groups which belong to Fateh, frustrated by the results of the elections, will carry attacks against Israel targets.
Israeli security minister, Shaul Mofaz, also met with senior security officials on Thursday morning to discuss the results of the Palestinian elections.
