Exit polls in Israel suggest that it will be possible for acting PM Ehud Olmert to form a centre-left coalition government with a large and stable majority. Although his Kadima party appeared to win not more than 32 seats, the new configuration of the 120-seat Knesset may permit not merely the creation of a government that is stable but also one that reflects the wishes of the majority.

This has not been the case for sometime. The stunning implosion of the Likud party casts light on what had been a glaring disconnect between the Israeli public and Israel’s political class. The vote marks an end to that disconnect. If the exit polls prove accurate, Likud under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu will have collapsed to 11 or 12 Knesset seats. The party that had been the dominant force in Israeli politics under the leadership of Ariel Sharon may now become the fourth or fifth largest grouping in the Knesset. Still, how the disputed land is to be divided and how the two-state solution is to be crafted are the crucial issues that will confront the new government. And just as Sharon came to understand that Israel was doing harm to itself by trying to prolong indefinitely its rule over 3.5 million Palestinians, Olmert will have to recognise that peace and security can only be achieved through a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians.