Israeli voted Tuesday for a referendum which will decide Israel's future in the West Bank, setting the borders for the Jewish state. Polls opened today at 7 a.m. and will close the same day, at 10 p.m. About 4.5 million voters are expected to vote in the 8,276 polling stations set up in schools.

Voters are expected to express their opinion for the separation from the Palestinian after 39 years of domination. Opinion polls show that the Kadima party, whose founder is the prime minister Ariel Sharon, will beat all opposition. Still, a large numbers of voters who have not expressed their opinion so far can affect the results, while some suggest that anti-Arab parties on the far right will benefit for an increasing support.

According to the surveys, Kadima will have about 36 seats in the 120-seat parliament, twice as many as its rival, the Labour party. The Likud party, led by Sharon until the split last year, will most likely occupy the third position.

Over 10 parties are expected to pass the minimum of 2% of the votes in order to enter the new parliament. Security in Israel tightened, some holy sites being restricted to visitors. Even if terror attacks preceded the previous elections, it is not likely that the eventual acts of violence will shake the main idea that Israel must quit the main Palestinian population centers.

"We hope that the Israeli voters will direct their vote to peace, for parliament members who are looking for peace, who want peace, because there is no future for us and for them, there is no security for us and for them without peace," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared on Monday.