RAMALLAH, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian parliament will convene on Monday to vote on the new government presented by the Islamic Resistance movement (Hamas), legislative sources said on Wednesday. 

    Earlier, Hamas prime minister-designate Ismail Haneya said that the vote of confidence in the parliament would probably be held on Saturday.

    Sources in the legislature said that Parliament Speaker Aziz Dweik, who is also a senior Hamas member, had decided to hold the vote on Monday after a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas. 

    If the parliament gives a green light, the Hamas government is likely to be sworn in at a ceremony presided over by Abbas on Thursday, the sources added.

    The Palestinian Legislative Council, in which Hamas has an outright majority of seats, is expected to approve the Hamas-led new government despite threats of "No" votes from the opposition Fatah lawmakers.

    Failing to bring other Palestinian factions for a coalition cabinet, Hamas has decided to present the new government, consisting of mainly Hamas members and several independents, to the parliament for a vote of confidence.

    Earlier in the day, the powerful Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), an umbrella grouping key Palestinian factions including Abbas' Fatah movement but not Hamas, rejected the Hamas-led government.

    The PLO's decision-making Executive Committee demanded that the Hamas government must change its governing plat form and recognize the supremacy of the PLO, which signed the interim peace deals with Israel on behalf of the Palestinian side and has called for a negotiated settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

    Hamas, sworn to Israel's destruction, swiftly turned down the demands.  Enditem