Coalition woes set to cast shadow over Sharon win

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s hawkish Likud Party appeared headed for a convincing general election victory last night.

But the difficulty of forming a stable government amid the turmoil of the Palestinian uprising will give him little time to savour victory.

Israel’s security forces barred Palestinians from entering Israel proper, and voting was proceeding smoothly. But in the turbulent Palestinian areas, seven Palestinians were killed.