THE PALESTINIAN President, Mr Yasser Arafat, last night called an unscheduled meeting of his self rule cabinet and other senior Palestinian officials to discuss the outcome of the Israeli elections.
Meanwhile in Washington, President Clinton telephoned the Israeli prime minister elect, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, pledging continued US support for Israel and inviting the leader to the White House.
Mr Clinton "expressed his commitment to continue working together with the government of Israel and all those in the region who support peace to realize the goal of a comprehensive peace between Arabs and Israelis," the White House said in a statement detailing his telephone conversation. The conversation lasted 20 minutes. Mr Clinton also called the defeated Labour leader to express his personal regards and gratitude.
The United Nations Secretary General, Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali, last night offered congratulations to Mr Netanyahu while sending a message of "friendship" to defeated Prime Minister, Mr Shimon Peres.
Diplomatic sources in New York said the secretary general feared for the impact of a Netanyahu victory on the Arab Israeli peace process. Dr Boutros Ghali is a close personal friend of Mr Peres having received him at his New York home several times. Mr Netanyahu was Israeli ambassador to the UN from 1984 to 1988.
In Damascus, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Moussa held surprise talks with the Syrian President, Mr Hafez al Assad.
The Egyptian President Mr Hosni Mubarak, King Hussein of Jordan and Mr Arafat will hold a mini summit in Jordan next week to discuss the future of the Arab Israeli peace talks.
Syria's ambassador to Egypt, Mr Issa Darwish, said Mr Netanyahu would put Israel and its neighbours back into a state of war if he tried to implement his electoral promises.
"If Netanyahu implements his statements on refusing to give back the Golan and the rest of the Palestinian territories and to withdraw from south Lebanon, this means he rejects the peace process and a return to the state of war and tension," Egypt's government newspaper al Gumhuria quoted Mr Darwich as saying.
In the Gulf, newspapers warned of setbacks to Middle East peace efforts and possible "limited wars".
The Saudi paper Al Medina said poll results so far proved that most Israeli people "do not see a meaning for peace with Arabs if they can enforce security with arms and intimidation".
"Those who voted for Netanyahu have in fact voted against (Israeli-PLO) Oslo agreements and against the new Middle East," the paper said.
In the United Arab Emirates, Al Khaleej said Likud was much worse than Labour.
"Where as the latter boxes in silk gloves and kills quietly and smilingly, the former boxes in gloves of iron and revels in butchering Arabs," it said.
In London, the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Malcom Rifkind, said in a statement released minutes after the final result "I congratulate Mr Netanyahu on his victory. The British government looks forward to working with him in the future and hopes that his new government will keep up the momentum in the peace process."