The United States would have to reconsider its assistance to the Palestinians if Hamas and the Palestinian Liberation Organization form a government together.

The United States would have to reconsider its assistance to the Palestinians if Hamas and the Palestinian Liberation Organization form a government together, a senior U.S. administration official said on Thursday.

"Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the state of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties," the official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

"If a new Palestinian government is formed, we will assess it based on its adherence to the stipulations above, its policies and actions, and will determine any implications for our assistance based on U.S. law," the official said.

The Gaza-based Hamas and PLO announced a unity pact on Wednesday, deepening a crisis in U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Zionist entity.

The move, coming after a long line of failed efforts to reconcile after seven years of internal bickering, envisions a unity government within five weeks and national elections six months later.

Both the United States and the Zionist entity greeted the announcement of the unity pact with dismay. The entity canceled a session of talks with the Palestinians that had been scheduled for Wednesday and the State Department said the move could derail peace efforts.