Israelis go to polls to set path for Palestinian relations

TEL AVIV, February 10 (RIA Novosti) - Israelis began voting on Tuesday morning in parliamentary elections that will decide who replaces Ehud Olmert as prime minister.

About 5.3 million Israelis are eligible to vote in the elections, which see 34 parties competing for the 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

The polls take place against the backdrop of the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip, launched by Olmert and his Kadima government on December 27, and the results will set the path for relations with the Palestinians. The conflict boosted the standing of the ruling party to the point where the election is almost too close to call.

The opposition Likud party of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is predicted to shade Kadima, led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, with each expected to win 25-30 seats.

The two parties have major differences on the peace process with the Palestinians, with Livni favoring swift movement towards the two states solution and Netanyahu perceived as supporting the status quo and a slower shift to Palestinian statehood through social and economic, rather than political, interaction.

A possible kingmaker in the inevitable coalition government is Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu is polling ahead of Defense Minister Ehud Barak's Labor Party, which had long dominated Israeli politics.

Polls predict that Lieberman, an immigrant born in Moldova in the Soviet Union, will head a group of 17-19 seats in the Knesset after taking a hard line on how to settle the Palestinian issue.

Security is a major concern on election day, with all passage to and from Palestinian territory barred since Monday evening and 23,000 police working to ensure a peaceful vote.

The election was forced by the resignation of Olmert in a corruption scandal and the failure of Livni, who took over as leader of Kadima, to form a coalition government. Should Kadima win the most seats it is thought unlikely to be able to gather majority support in parliament.