ByJames LandaleDiplomatic correspondent, Reporting fromJerusalem

In the next week, two sets of elections will be held on two continents, the outcomes of which could have profound consequences for the world.

By a fluke of electoral timetabling, millions of voters around 6,000 miles apart will unite in exercising their democratic rights within days of each other.

Voters in Israel go to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new parliament; a week later, voters in the United States will elect a new Congress.