only on al jazeera america. >> exhibit polls show a dead heat between israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and center left rival after the israel election. >> also coming up on the program, israel's election. in other news activists accuse the syrian air force of carrying out a chlorine gas attack killing six people. vanuatu cyclone survivors

say they're running out of food. >> well polls closed just a few hours ago but the israeli election is still too close to call with the two main blocs neck and neck. benjamin netanyahu may have the narrowest of lead over the left alliance while others give them the same result. netanyahu is claiming the victory, and he's considered more likely to build a coalition in the coming days. his main rival is isaac herzog, the leader of the center left zionist union and let's look at

the results as they stand now. 28 seats for likud party. 27 seats for the zionist union. 13 seats to the joint list, and 12 seats for the yesh atid party, and nine seats for the k kulenu party and 5 seats for the matter. mike, can you hear me? i think we're having problems. >> yes, i can hear you. at the moment we're still

waiting for them to come and address the party. netanyahu has claimed victory based on the exit polls. very clearly the exit polls indicate it will be easeier for netanyahu to form an extreme right-wing coalition than it would be for the to form one based on the center. while everyone has something to celebrate in some kind of way it does appears that netanyahu is more likely to build a strong coalition based on the basis of these projected results. all attention will then switch to one man and they'll decide who is going to call on first to

form a coalition government, and indications are that he may have to swallow his dislike of benjamin netanyahu and ask the likud leader to appoint a government for the fourth term in office. >> mike n run up to this election, it was not just the president--a lot of people relatively a lot of people were saying we would vote for anyone but netanyahu but he seems to be the one with the most votes. what did he do right over the last few days? >> well, very clearly we went back and appealed to his traditional support base. he has clearly desperate at one stage in the campaign, particularly in the last few weeks when opinion polls showed that he was lagging significantly behind the zionist union. benjamin netanyahu did what he did best, he appealed to his traditional support base, and that is the right right-rein

settlement movement. in particular he went out of his way to assert his strong position as he sees it, he stated that he no longer sees the palestinian state as viable, and going back to his 2009 campaign saying he supported a two-state solution. he went to the extreme right wing politics that is likely to form the bedrock of support in the government. >> we're expecting to hear from the prime minister benjamin netanyahu at some point. we'll be crossing live for you. at the moment, from the likud party headquarters. thank you. and let's go to tel aviv. this is the kind of night where a lot of people could claim

victory. i guess isaac herzog has not sent the tweet out like benjamin netanyahu, but they could still form a coalition? >> i don't think people here have given up hope quite yet. the fact of the matter is that they're neck and neck with mr. mr. net netanyahu's likud party. the zionist movement and parties and many respect that they would be able to form the coalition with don't seem to be able to cross that crucial 61-seat threshold that is needed to form a government in the 120 seat parliament. there is also questions about just what exactly the zionist movement will be able to offer some partners that might not

necessarily be natural partners with them, parties which may have been with mr. netanyahu's coalition, parties with perhaps more right-wing views, and whether there is enough that they could entice them over to their side. there are a lot of questions about that. still, there might be a glimmer of hope for the zionist union and that could come in the form of the president the president of israel effectively casts one of the forerunners of any election when the results are in to try to form a government. they're given six weeks to do that and there is a possible chance that the zionist union will be able to convince the president that they can form a government. if they can convince the president that they can, they will be given the opportunity.

saying that, it looks like the math is on the side of prime minister benjamin netanyahu who no doubt, will be insisting that he be allowed to form a coalition. >> thank you. tell the viewers we're seeing pictures live pictures of tel aviv. this has been closely monitored in washington, d.c. and let's go there and speak with roslind jordan. what kind of reaction in the u.s. and crucially where does the u.s. think that this election result is going to lead

peace talks? >> well, barbara there has not been official reaction. we did hear the spokesperson earlier on tuesday congratulate the israel people for going to the polls for showing their commitment to living in a vibrant democracy. however, the question of what happens with the peace talks with the palestinians is certainly a bigger question, particularly if benjamin netanyahu, indeed, retains his hold on the prime minister's ship and is steadfast in his commitment to not allowing a palestinian state an independent palestinian state be negotiated into existence. now this is, of course, not something that the u.s. has been interested in for the past 25 years or so. this is also something-- >> we have to go straight back to tel aviv because isaac

herzog is starting to speak. >> the citizens from all around the country two days ago pitches at the wailingi was at the wailing wall, i made a prayer and i read two paragraphs from psalms of let's there be peace on jerusalem. and the second taken from the book of--i'll build a house. this is the aim of the zionist

union. it should be known to you. thank you. it should be known that we've made an extraordinary achieve achievement today extraordinary extraordinary, since the actions of 1992, we have not had these results. together i'm very proud of you. and it's important for me to say you've worked hard and you deserve it.

tzipi will help to bring the country to a successful--this result allows us to the leadership and of course we'll have to wait for the final results. everything is open. i've spoken to the parties.

we don't know what the final results will be. i want to do everything that i can in order to form a government which is good for israel which will return it to being a democratic jewish country and aim for peace with our neighbors. therefore, i ask all of the parties to come together under

my leadership in order to keep the unity of israel, a government that will give voice to israel that will give hope to new generations and will include a real change for israel. because the public won't change and a majority that there should really be a change in israel. livni and i have begun negotiations, which will lead towards a government, and we'll do everything that we can within the boundaries of politics to

achieve this, and i can tell you one thing there won't, we can all go to creep because sleep because you've worked so hard. you've given your spirit and your heart. i want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers and activists citizen who is have given their spirit and their hearts during the whole period, who understand that israel deserves a change. you've done an amazing achievement, and you've brought us back from theter times of the labour party.

i say to volunteers, young and old, and to all those who have helped carry out the day-to-day tasks i want to thank those who have work with the knesset for the people. i would like to thank my wife and colleague. i'm only half a manner. i want to thank my children who haven't seen me very much over the past month who knew this task could change the country

and it was upon all of us. i want to invite with lots of love and gratitude tzipi livni and her husband who is also in this with us, naftali. >> this evening i can look in my children's eyes and say that i

did everything i did for you. for you for your friends for the children who are born here, for their parents for the grandmothers and grandfathers. we have fought together for your fire and for the state in which you'll live, and which you'll bring up your children. and we continue to fight. to fight for the country that we so love, the state of israel, the jewish state the democratic state, and that is so right for us. we have formed a wonderful partnership.

we have formed a wonderful partnership after four months of difficult campaign of tension i have discovered that the man i knew for many years but also i have found the courage and the strength to stand and to maintain the. we went out and formed this friendship this alternative and hope for israel. the public has come today and two different parts two different worlds, and we're standing at the end of the zion ist movement and these elections

have shown today that the zion ist union is better. we will do everything to form a government. we're right in what we're doing. this has to be the government, and each of you can be very

proud today proud that you fought together on our house that you fought and believes in us and in everything that we're doing and want to be. proud that you didn't allow extremeism to succeed and you believe in zionism which always wins. thank you to the people of the party, the volunteers the friends, to those in all the places this fight is not over. it is not finished.

zionism has to continue with everything that we believe in. we're not lifting our hand up. please don't do so either. the country has to be looked after for you. thank you. >> we've been hearing from tzipi livni and the two leaders there from the zionist union. tzipi livni said that she did everything she could. isaac herzog had previously--he's speaking again now, but when he first addressed the audience he said that everything was open. he had spoken to all leaders of the parties that he deemed the important ones, and that they will do everything that they can to form a true unity party for israel. we can across live to israel to

the labour party headquarters. give us reaction from what you heard from the two leaders and how those messages were received by the crowd. >> obviously, they have an awful lot of support, a lot of young people are here to see these two leaders, leaders of the zionist union who managed to galvanize a large number of voters. saying that this is the best showing that his labour party has had since 1992. now this union, of course, when tzipi livni has proven to be relatively popular. and the fact that they did manage to secure the 27 votes. the fact of the matter, their

closest rival managed to secure roughly the same. what was interesting when we were listen to go these comments from mr. herzog, he seemed pretty confident that he could form a government. when you look at the electoral map it seems to be on mr. netanyahu's side. that's perhaps why we heard from tzipi livni as she described them that they do not represent israel and are not the past that israel should go down. so i suppose it's really a message to their supporters that they did come out. they did support this centrist group, and they hope that this signals a shift in vile politics. >> did you notice in the speech, and the people you've been speaking with.

what intent wrong with the zionist movement, they were predicted to get more than four seats than the likud, and that did not happen. >> you're right and quite frankly in the last week of the election the momentum was behind the zionist movement. it was behind isaac herzog and his running mate tzipi livni. they seem to have lost in just the hours before the polls opened. benjamin netanyahu in a media blitz and he was literally everywhere at every time. morning shows radio shows making public appearances and it really does feel like this last push by mr. netanyahu to

secure enough voters. when we look at his far right coalition, his message was support the likud and support netanyahu netanyahu. >> at the zionist movement headquarters, thank you. the flynn side said that the provisional outcome is bad news for any chance of peace. >> it seems to me that mr. mr. netanyahu will form the next government in israel, and we all

heard what they said yesterday. they said if he's re-elected as prime minister, he will not allow the palestinians to stay. he will continue with settlement settlement. mr. netanyahu has done nothing in his life but destroy the two-state solution. >> the hamas spokesman said that all the israeli parties are alike to us. they may disagree on many things but what unites them is their constant denial of the rights of the palestinians and their constant denial of will

against the palestinians. let me show you some results that we've just had coming in from one of the main israeli newspapers. they put likud at 27 and the zionist at 13. >> the zionist union perhaps to perhaps outside of israel and palestine looks less ultra nationalist and more diplomatic

and friendly, but there isn't actually anything that different yates the two parties. the zionists say we will negotiate, but they have also said that they have an internal united capitol. they really don't understand how that might work. netanyahu in the last week has really shown his true colors. >> when he stated there would not an palestinian state. >> right right, which is what likud and their coalition have been talking about for some time. they believe in a greater israel, which includes all the palestinian territories, and they're not interested in negotiations even when they're pre-sending that they are. in terms of the flip issue there isn't really much change. and most palestinians i've talked to said they would prefer a right-right.

>> a lot of people were saying from the outside its all about the israeli conflict, a internally, like every other country, it's the economy it's the rising price of living. actually when you look at the results, when you go to the ballot box most israelis thought about what they see as security and relations and rather than more traditional issues like the economy? >> i think that's absolutely right. in the last week and what these exit polls are show something that nationalism trumped economics. security concerns trumped really grave concerns about the economy. there was a joke in israel that there was a contest between bb and everyone