Beirut - Most Lebanese and Palestinian officials who followed the outcome of the Israeli elections believe that, whichever party eventually forms a government, the prospects for peace in the region remain dim.

The head of Lebanon's ruling majority, Saad Hariri, said "the victory of the right-wing parties show that Israel does not want peace and is making up obstacles not to enter a peace process."

He was referring to the strong showing of Israel's right-wing bloc, which held 65 seats after Tuesday's ballot. The bloc's major party is Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, which garnered 27 seats.

Meanwhile, the centrist Kadima party, headed by Tzipi Livni, won 28 seats in the 120-member parliament.

Hussein Haj Hassan, a member of parliament from the Hezbollah party, stressed that his movement sees all Israeli leaders as the same.

"For us there is no difference between leaders in the Zionist entity," Haj Hassan said.

Ousama Hamdam, Hamas' spokesman in Beirut, said "the Israelis have chosen the three terrorists Livini, Netanyhu and Avigdor Lieberman, and this clearly shows that they want to continue their war against our people."

Lieberman's ultra-nationalist Israeli Beitenu party garnered 15 seats in the vote.

"The election outcome not only threatens the Palestinians, but the Mideast region in general," he added.

The Lebanese press on its part also echoed fear of the outcome of the Israeli parliamentary elections.

The Lebanese daily As Safir declared in its Wednesday headline, "polls showed that the vast majority of Israelis do not believe in peace with the Arabs." (dpa)