"We do not see it necessary to squeeze ourselves and our people into this dark corner which will achieve nothing," a Hamas official said, referring to peace talks.
In the Arab world, the Hamas victory was seen as strengthening the hand of those who favor democracy even at the risk of removing authoritarian Arab governments, which themselves face Islamist opposition movements sympathetic to Hamas.
US President George W. Bush said on Wednesday that he would not deal with Hamas unless it accepted Israel's existence.
"A political party, in order to be viable, is one that professes peace, in my judgment, in order that it will keep the peace," Bush told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.
Voting in Wednesday's election was orderly, despite weeks of armed chaos. More than 400 candidates ran locally in the first parliamentary elections since 1996.
US monitors led by former US president Jimmy Carter said yesterday that the elections were "well-administered."
It is too early to judge the vote counting process, which is still under way, said a statement put out by the American National Democracy Institute and Carter.
"Election day was generally peaceful and the elections thus far appear to be well-administered under the difficult circumstances of ongoing conflict and occupation," the statement said.
Three exit polls had forecast a slim Fatah victory in the contest for parliament's 132 seats. Turnout was 78 percent of the 1.3 million voters.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier yesterday urged Hamas to reject violence and recognize Israel.
"We could imagine various forces in the [Palestinian] government. But there are two conditions: the forces that join the government must renounce violence," he told German public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk, adding that the second condition was respecting Israel's right to exist.
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