Tel Aviv  - Some 9,500 polling stations across Israel opened at 7 am (0500 GMT) early Tuesday morning as voters were set to elect a new parliament - the 18th in the country's 60-year history.

Approximately 4.8 million eligible voters are to chose from 33 lists in the proportional elections, with pre-election surveys predicting a tight race between the hawkish Likud party, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, and the centrist Kadima party led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Voting ends at 10 pm (2000 GMT) and Israel's three television channels will broadcast the results of exit polls. First official results are not expected until Wednesday. (dpa)