Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom hinted on Sunday that any sign of Syrian chemical arms transfer to Hizbullah could trigger military strikes.

Shalom told Israel's Army Radio that should Hizbullah or rebels battling forces loyal to President Bashar Assad obtain chemical weapons, "it would dramatically change the capabilities of those organizations."

Senator John Kerry, on track to become the next U.S. secretary of state, is to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah in February to examine ways of reviving the peace process, an Israeli daily reported on Friday.

Quoting senior Israeli officials, the left-leaning Haaretz said Kerry was interested in visiting as soon as possible, even before a new Israeli government is appointed following Tuesday's general election.

Israeli officials said Thursday that military action against Iran needed to stay on the table, as former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger warned of a crisis over Tehran's nuclear ambitions in the "very foreseeable future".

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the threat of military action was vital to efforts against Iran's nuclear program.

The results of Israel's election keep premier Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu list the largest in parliament with 31 seats ahead of Yair Lapid's centrist Yesh Atid at 19, an official said on Thursday.

The central election committee spokesman said in a statement that the third largest party was Shelly Yachimovich's Labor with 15 seats, with the far-right Jewish Home winning 12 mandates in the 120-seat Knesset.

Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid party took second place in Israel's election, ruled out on Wednesday participating in any bloc to prevent incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a new coalition government.

"I've heard talk of an (anti-Netanyahu) bloc," Lapid said. "I suggest removing that from the table. There will not be a bloc; that will not happen."

Israel's new government will prioritize domestic socio-economic issues, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday, a day after he won a narrow election victory.

"The Israeli public wants me... to put together a government which will include three big changes internally: a greater sharing of the burden (of military service), affordable housing and changes in the system of government," he said in a brief broadcast address.

Israel's elections, which saw an even split between rightwing and center-left blocs, are unlikely to produce a coalition bent on reviving peace talks, a Palestinian official said Wednesday.

"I don't see a peace coalition or a peace camp emerging now and revitalizing itself," Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official with the Palestine Liberation Organization, told reporters.

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu stumbled out of a bruising election Wednesday with a reduced majority, faced with having to curb his hawkish Palestinian policy to woo emergent centrist kingmaker Yair Lapid.

In results that defied expectations, the centrist Yesh Atid became Israel's second strongest party, just nine months after it was created by Lapid, a former journalist, who has overnight become the country's newest political star.

Polls opened on Tuesday in Israel's general election, which is expected to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power at the head of a government of hardline right-wing and religious parties.

The ballot to choose Israel's 19th parliament is likely to usher in a sharply right-wing government, diminishing the chances of a peace deal with the Palestinians and raising the prospect of greater diplomatic isolation for the Jewish state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Friday that there would be no dismantlement of any Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins a general election next week.

Asked in an interview with the Maariv newspaper: "Can you promise that during the next four years, no settlement will be dismantled?" Netanyahu answered: "Yes."