Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has told Israel that he will be in charge of diplomatic contacts with Israel although the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) won the January legislative elections, well-informed sources said on Monday.

The sources said that Abbas has recently dispatched two envoys to deliver a message to Israel that he would take the responsibility of conducting diplomatic efforts including negotiations with Israel.

Abbas also urged Israel to cooperate with him despite the Hamas ' landslide election victory, the sources added.

Earlier, Israeli acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel would work with Abbas as long as he did not join Hamas.

Olmert also said that Israel would continue transferring tax payment to the Palestinian National Authority on condition that Hamas did not lead the new Palestinian government.

Hamas, sworn to Israel's destruction, has won the Jan. 25 legislative elections by a big margin, defeating Abbas' long dominant Fatah movement.

According to the Palestinian law, any party or faction that holds the majority of parliament seats will be asked to form the new government.

Hamas leaders said on Saturday after a meeting with Abbas in Gaza that the group hoped to form a cabinet later in the month after the new parliament is sworn in on Feb. 16.

Abbas, on his part, said that any talks on the formation of the cabinet before the legislature's inauguration would be premature.

Source: Xinhua