Feb. 10--DOHA, Qatar -- Israelis are preparing to vote in a general election dominated by security concerns after Israel's 22-day war on Gaza.

Tuesday's election is likely to see large gains for right-wing parties after the war and amid sporadic clashes between Israel and Hamas fighters.

However, a record 20 per cent of voters remain undecided, with party leaders battling for every vote on Monday.

The election has become a close-run contest between Kadima, which heads the current ruling coalition, and the opposition Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister and Kadima leader, insisted on Monday her party was best placed to achieve Israeli unity and that "victory is in reach".

"If Kadima gets just one mandate more than Likud, we will be able to form a governing coalition as we are a centrist party that can bring together the right and the left," she said.

Coalition factor

Under the Israeli election system it is the person deemed most likely to form a governing coalition who will be charged with forming a government, and Netanyahu has also stressed he would also seek a broad coalition.

"A narrow government would not be in a position to face the challenges posed by the threat of a nuclear Iran, Hamas, rocket fire and the economic crisis," he said.

However, Netanyahu also reiterated his hardline stance on security, vowing he would never cede territory captured from Syria in the 1967 war during his tour of the Golan Heights on Monday.

Polling stations open at 7am (05:00 GMT) and close at 10pm (20:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Kadima, led by Livni, the foreign minister, is almost neck-and-neck with Likud, with the last opinion polls ahead of the election predicting it to win between 23 and 25 seats, while Likud is likely to win between 25 and 27.

Opinion polls have also indicated that has seen the country's right-wing parties will make significant gains.

Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, could be the key to being able to form a coalition with opinion polls suggesting that his party would take third place.

His campaign slogan "no loyalty, no citizenship" has angered Palestinian-Israelis who he proposes should take an oath of loyalty to Israel.

Early voting took place on Monday in some areas of Israel and the West Bank, with soldiers on remote bases among those allowed to cast their ballot one day early.

Right-wing gains

Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from Jerusalem, said while Netanyahu remained a strong frontrunner, the gap between his party and the Kadima party had narrowed considerably.