Hamas (via Washington Post)

The radical Islamic group Hamas took control of the Palestinian parliament Saturday during a somber swearing-in ceremony, and legislators from the new majority made clear soon after that they would not abide by signed agreements that recognize Israel's right to exist.

In a speech to the new 132-seat parliament, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas staunchly defended past agreements, including the 1993 Oslo accords that created the Palestinian Authority and the legislature Hamas entered Saturday. He called for the immediate renewal of negotiations with the goal of establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, declaring "there is a Palestinian partner" for such talks. Those past agreements were backed by Abbas' Fatah party, now a governing minority for the first time. Hamas, a terrorist organization in the eyes of the United States and the European Union, have favored a military campaign that in the past six years has included more than 50 suicide attacks inside Israel over peace negotiations that have failed to achieve Palestinian independence.