Following his victory in the Israeli elections yesterday, Ariel Sharon said he will form a broad coalition government consisting of rightwingers, far rightwingers and extreme rightwingers.

"People trust me on security," he declared, "and you're never more secure than when you're pointing a rifle or sub-machine gun away from you, or you're sitting at the controls of a helicopter launching rockets at someone else."

But Mr Sharon insisted that he was also a man of peace. "I'll peace all over the Palestinians," he promised.