RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) – A new Parliament dominated by Hamas was sworn in yesterday, with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas asking the militants to form the next government but also imploring them to honour existing peace deals and take the path of negotiations.

Hamas leaders rejected Abbas’ calls, but signalled a willingness to compromise.

In the battle for Palestinians’ political future, time is short and stakes are high: Israel is on the verge of imposing sanctions that would seal off the Gaza Strip.

Hooked up via video conferencing because Israel wouldn’t allow them to travel between the two territories, the new Palestinian lawmakers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip took their oath of office collectively, reciting a prayer with upturned palms.

At the back of a meeting hall in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Hamas lawmakers – the men sporting traditional Muslim beards and the women in headscarves and long robes – held up portraits of fellow legislators sitting in Israeli jails.