CRI听力:Prospect after Israeli Elections

Preliminary results of Tuesday's vote show a clear victory for Netanyahu's Likud Party.

Likud, despite entering the vote down in opinion-polling to the opposition Zionist Party, appear to have garnered a total of 30 seats in the 120 seat Knesset, six more than the left-wing coalition.

"We have scored a major victory for the nationalist camp headed by Likud. Now we must form a strong, stable government that will know how to uphold security and socioeconomic well-being."

Many obsevers say Likud's election has been fostered through the last-minute policy shift announced by Netanyahu this week, saying his re-election will mean Israel will not recognize a Palestinian State.

Avraham Diskin is a political science professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

"In the very last minute, I think that people had a sense of urgency on the right - the left is having too much power, the Zionist camp is too successful, so that movement from satellite parties took place in the very last moment, and that's the reason, the reason for the results we have. I don't think that the public opinion polls were so wrong; I think they influenced voters, they contributed to the atmosphere and that's why we have the result that we have today."

It's expected centrist party Kulanu is going to announce its coalition with Likud this week to form a new government.

Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog has already conceeded his party will be the parliamentary opposition.

Despite the pronouncement this week by Netanyahu, leaders in Likud appear to be somewhat back-tracking on their leaders hard-line stand when it comes to the question of a Palestinian state.

Likud's Tzachi Hanegbi, the former deputy Foreign Minister, says negotiations are still possible.

"We will be very delighted to renew the negotiation. We believe it's in the interest of both people, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to have a dialogue, to discuss and dispute, and to try and find the issues that are so crucial to both people."

The Palestinian Authority has since announced it will only work with an Israeli government which is committed to a two-state solution.

Ashram Khatib is PLA advisor to the previous negotiations.

"Our commitment to the international community to achieve peace agreement is still the same. It's up to Israel to fulfill its obligations towards its commitment under international law, and also its commitment to the previous agreement, its commitment to the international consent of establishment of a Palestinian state with 1967 borders and with east Jerusalem as its capital."

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is due to meet with Isreali politicans this coming Sunday to decide which faction will be chosen to form a new government.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.