ISRAEL: The soldiers' vote, counted yesterday, has produced a slight shift in the final allotment of seats won by each party in Israel's election earlier this week that could prove highly significant when Ehud Olmert, who is likely to become prime minister, moves to implement his plan to withdraw from most of the West Bank.
The vote, which is always counted last, saw both Mr Olmert's Kadima (Forward) party and the dovish Meretz party earning an extra seat - giving them 29 and five seats respectively. This now ensures that along with the pro-withdrawal Labour Party (20 seats) and the Pensioners' Party (7 seats), which is not expected to oppose a West Bank pull-out, Mr Olmert will have the support of 61 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament who accept his plan.
In pre-election interviews, Mr Olmert said he would unilaterally withdraw from much of the West Bank if attempts to renew peace talks with the Palestinians failed.
He said he would evacuate isolated settlements and move Jewish settlers into major settlement blocs, and that the separation barrier would more or less serve as the border between Israel and the West Bank.
In the final election count, the hawkish Likud party, which crashed in last Tuesday's election, gained an extra seat, ending up on 12 - compared with 38 seats in 2003.
Coalition negotiations are expected to get under way in earnest next week.