While Israel's national elections sent out some confusing signals, in fact the electorate sent a rather dramatic message to its political leadership and the world.

World renowned dissident and Chairman of One Jerusalem, Natan Sharansky clearly examines the results of these elections. In What the Israeli Elections Really Mean , Sharansky concludes that Israelis emphatically rejected the political process that started with the Oslo Accords:

"For the first time in many years, definitely since the Oslo peace process started in 1993, a significant majority of the Knesset does not believe in Oslo, and does not believe in the disengagement from Gaza in 2005--in short, does not believe that peace with the Palestinians can be achieved through simple, quick solutions."

Sharansky says that the rejection of the Oslo process that required the United States and Israel to prop up dictators is dead and should be replaced by a bottom approach to peace:

"I have always believed that the only reliable path to peace begins with a bottom-up approach in rebuilding Palestinian civil society, in which Palestinians rebuild their educational system to teach their students to be good citizens rather than suicide bombers; in which Palestinians rebuild their economy through a commitment to initiative and personal freedom; rebuild their security apparatus to secure peace rather than preparing for war; and build proper and healthy civic institutions."

Sharansky is hopefull that Benjamin Netanyahu will form a based unity government:

"What gives me hope today, however, is that the leader of Israel's national camp and hopefully the next Prime Minister of Israel heading a broad unity government, Benjamin Netanyahu, believes in bottom-up solutions, starting with economic development as the key to creating the conditions for peace."

Read the whole Sharansky article here.