Sharon ahead in final polls
Concerned about possible Palestinian attacks during the election period, security forces stepped up already tight travel restrictions on Palestinians, who will not be allowed to cross from the West Bank and Gaza into Israel proper until tomorrow Most Palestinians already were prevented from entering Israel even before the latest move.
The army lifted curfews in several West Bank cities, allowing residents to leave their homes and permitting shops to open, but the curfew remained in Nablus and Bethlehem.
Meanwhile, opinion polls published in yesterday's newspapers showed Sharon's Likud party holding a comfortable lead. Likud is projected to win at least 32 seats in the 120-member parliament, compared with about 18 for the dovish Labour Party and 15 for the centrist Shinui, according to Maariv newspaper.
While the election itself is not expected to produce surprises, Sharon could face difficulties in forming the kind of broad-based, national unity government he wants. Labour says it will not join a government headed by Sharon, while Shinui, which opposes special privileges for the ultra-Orthodox, says it will not join the government if religious parties are included.
That could force Sharon to turn to far-right and religious parties for his coalition, though such a grouping is seen as unstable. He could form such a government with at least 63 seats, according to a Dahaf/Tzemach poll published in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper.
The Yediot poll quizzed 1,500 people and had a margin of error of 2.6%. Its breakdown of seats for the top three parties was similar to the Maariv survey. Sharon insisted that he would form a broad-based government, despite Labour's opposition.
Amram Mitzna used his final TV campaign spots to plead with disaffected Labour Party backers to return to the fold. Many existing Labour supporters felt that the party, the pioneer in peace efforts with the Palestinians, was harmed by its role in Sharon's government, which has emphasised tough military action in response to Palestinian attacks.
Mitzna countered with a pledge not to join another Sharon-led government and has promoted a proposal to withdraw from all of Gaza and most of the West Bank, unilaterally if no agreement is reached.
However, the message has not resonated with voters, and Labour is expected to lose about one-third of its parliamentary seats.
