Israelis vote on Tuesday in apivotal poll likely to usher in an unprecedented drive to fix the Jewish state’s final borders in a political landscape that has changed beyond recognition.Ehud Olmert, the acting Prime Minister fleshed out his plan today to unilaterally fix Israel’s borders if he wins this week’s election, vowing to reach an internal consensus before seeking international backing.Just over five million Israelis will have the right to cast their ballots on March 28 for a total of 31 candidates.As police began deploying in their thousands across the country ahead of Tuesday’s pivotal ballot, politicians from all sides sought to counter voter apathy which threatens to lead to a low turnout.In the continued absence of any progress in the peaceprocess with the Palestinians, Olmert has pledged to make fixing the borders the top priority of his next administration.‘‘We should decide on our borders in order to separate ourselves from the Palestinians,’’ said Olmert in an interview with Israeli Public Radio.Making a symbolic appeal to Israelis, incoming Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said that Hamas wanted to end the crisis with Israel. “We want rights and dignity for Palestinians , and to put an end to this situation.”
