Livni will continue aggression

Palestine's democratically-elected Hamas government says Livni's election as Israeli premier signals the pursuit of a policy of aggression.

"Livni's accession to power would signify the same policy of repression and aggression against the Palestinian people carried out by previous Zionist leaders," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said in a Thursday statement.

"We must remain committed to resistance as a strategy to defend our rights," he added.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni won the Kadima party leadership election on Wednesday against her comparative hawkish rival, Shaul Mofaz.

She will now replace the embattled Ehud Olmert, who was forced to resign following charges of fraud and embezzlement.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the election of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as the new leader of Israel's ruling party.

"Livni was deeply involved in the peace process so we think she will continue peace-seeking with us," senior aide to Abbas, Saeb Erekat told reporters in Ramallah on Thursday.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, however, urged the Abbas' administration to stop 'all forms of talks and negotiations with the Israeli enemy'.

"Regardless who stands at the head of the Zionist entity's government, nothing will change on the ground… Our struggle against the Zionists is open until they leave our land," the movement said in a statement.