U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday called on the candidates for the Jan. 25 Palestinian legislative elections to renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist.

"It remains the view of the United States that there should be no place in the political process for groups or individuals who refuse to renounce terror and violence, recognize Israel's right to exist, and disarm," Rice said in a statement.

"As (Palestinian) President (Mahmoud) Abbas has said, democratic elections can be preclude to laws and policies embracing peace, excluding advocates of terror and violence and implementing Roadmap obligations to dismantle the infrastructure of terror," she said.

Abbas has announced that the legislative elections would be held on Jan. 25 as scheduled after Israel allowed Palestinians in Jerusalem to vote in the upcoming polls.

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is widely expected to do well in the elections, causing great concerns of Israel.

Source: Xinhua