Likud’s decisive election victory on Tuesday is reported by the Guardian, Times, Financial Times, Telegraph, Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Evening Standard, Metro and Independent i. The Financial Times online includes a profile of Kulanu leader, Moshe Kahlon who will be a key figure as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks to swiftly form a coalition.

There is plenty of analysis and reflection over the Likud triumph. The Guardian and Independent both report that some Palestinians view the result as an end to the peace process. An editorial in the Guardian says that “Palestinians will now be able to argue with force that there is no Israeli partner for peace,” with Netanyahu having seemingly ruled out the chances of a Palestinian state under his leadership, on the eve of Tuesday’s vote.

Placing the election outcome in an international context, the Financial Times predicts that Netanyahu’s win “threatens turmoil” in US-Israel relations, while the Telegraph says that it places Washington and Jerusalem on a “collision course.” In the Times, Catherine Philip argues that Netanyahu distancing himself from a two-state solution constitutes a retreat from the international arena. Ian Black in the Guardian provides an analysis of how various international players will likely view the result. In the Financial Times, Gideon Rachman suggests that there will be confrontation between Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama, while European patience with Netanyahu will continue to dwindle.

The Times brands Netanyahu’s campaign tactics a “naked appeal to the right” while Aluf Benn writing in the Guardian says that Netanyahu used the “politics of fear” to secure victory. A Times editorial says that Netanyahu played on justified Israeli fears over security, but that he nonetheless failed to provide an answer to Israel’s demographic dilemma in the absence of a two-state solution. An Independent editorial also acknowledges the threats facing Israel, but says the country is “less safe with Netanyahu at the helm.” Writing in the Telegraph, David Blair comments that Netanyahu has provided no answer to the big questions over Israel’s borders.

Meanwhile, in the Guardian online, Julian Borger provides an update on the nuclear talks in Switzerland between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif. He says that a “gulf” remains on the question of sanctions relief for Tehran, with an end of month deadline on a deal outline approaching.

In the Israeli media, reaction to the Likud victory also dominates. Maariv’s front page proclaims, “A new beginning,” while both Haaretz and Israel Hayom focus on attempts already being made by Prime Minister Netanyahu to form a new government. Yediot Ahronot emphasises that the election results mean that Netanyahu can form a new government “almost unhindered.” However, in Maariv, Yehudah Sharoni notes that if Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon is as expected appointed Finance Minister, he will face a tough time working with a boss who he knows from previous experience “doesn’t keep his promises” and who holds a differing economic outlook.

Also reflecting on Tuesday’s results, Israel Hayom includes a piece titled “The pollsters darkest hour” after the three separate exit polls predicted inaccurate results. Meanwhile, Haaretz says that in analysing Tuesday’s voting, Likud appears to have profited from winning a majority in the periphery of the country and among the middle classes.

Israel Radio news says that the Central Elections Committee is expected to release the final election results this afternoon, taking into account votes from soldiers, prisoners and hospital patients. Meretz is set to receive one more seat than expected, while the Joint Arab List and United Torah Judaism may lose one each.