Hamas 'seeks dialogue with West'

Addressing the Palestinian parliament, he also put forward Hamas' platform for government and its cabinet list, which is expected to be voted in on Tuesday.

Mr Haniya said Hamas was ready to talk to international mediators about solving the Middle East conflict.

But he made no concession to Western demands to soften its hardline agenda.

The US and European countries have said they will not deal with Hamas - which won a surprise landslide victory in Palestinian elections in January, and which they classify as a terrorist group - unless it renounces violence and recognises Israel.

But the militant movement says recognising Israel would mean accepting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

Plea to Quartet

The BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza says Mr Haniya's speech was relaxed, confident and wide-ranging.

"The Palestinian people should not be punished for exercising their right to choose their leaders in free and democratic elections"
Ismail Haniya

Mr Haniya, who was in Gaza, delivered his speech by video link to assembly members in Ramallah in the West Bank, as Israel bans Hamas leaders from travelling between the West Bank and Gaza for security reasons.

His speech came on the eve of Israeli elections.

The prime minister-designate urged the international community not to punish the Palestinian people for electing a Hamas government, but to put pressure on Israel to end its occupation.

The EU was the largest single donor to the Palestinians in 2005, but it has warned future aid will depend on Hamas showing a commitment to work for peace.

Mr Haniya said donors would be able to monitor how the money was spent.

He also called for dialogue with the international mediators known as the Quartet - the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia.

"The government is ready for dialogue with the Quartet," Mr Haniya said.

"The European Union has provided a lot of aid to our people, and supported our right for freedom... We are interested in a strong relation with Europe."

Gaza violence

Earlier, security sources in the Gaza Strip said Israeli troops killed a Palestinian militant as he and two others tried to launch a homemade rocket at Israel from the town of Beit Hanoun.

The Israeli military fired on the three from a tank and an aircraft as they approached the perimeter fence.

The dead man was a member of the Islamic Jihad militant group.

Islamic Jihad frequently fires crudely-made rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, saying the attacks are in retaliation for Israeli army actions in the occupied West Bank.