The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to extend the national dialogue after it ended without an agreement on Monday night.

"We call on President Abbas to reconsider his position and extend the national dialogue," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told a news conference in Gaza City on Monday night.

He made the call shortly after Palestinian officials announced that the national dialogue had failed to agree on an initiative drawn up by senior Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails last month, which calls for establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

On May 25, Abbas opened a national dialogue by giving Palestinian factions until June 5 to accept the so-called prisoners' initiative or he would put the proposal to a referendum within 40 days.

Hamas, which remains committed to the destruction of Israel, has so far refused to accept the document which is widely seen as implicit recognition of the Jewish state.

Abu Zuhri reiterated Hamas' opposition to holding referendum in the Palestinian territories.

"We are ready for more dialogue and there is no need for the referendum," he said.

He denied that Hamas movement was afraid of holding a referendum, saying "we went to legislative elections four months ago, and we were not afraid, but we reject the referendum because we believe that the dialogue is better."

Source: Xinhua