Netanyahu Favoured in Likud Leadership Primary sunday 18.12.05 (Angus Reid Global Scan) – Benjamin Netanyahu could become the leader of Israel’s main right-wing party once again, according to a poll by Shvakim Panorama released by Israel Radio. 45.8 per cent of Likud members would back Netanyahu in the primary ballot. Foreign minister Silvan Shalom is second with 33.4 per cent, followed by political activist Moshe Feiglin with 9.7 per cent, and agriculture minister Yisrael Katz with 6.8 per cent. The Likud will hold its primary on Dec. 19. Former Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) paratrooper Uzi Landau dropped out of the race and endorsed Netanyahu. In a prospective second round, Netanyahu would defeat Shalom with 56.3 per cent. Netanyahu served as prime minister from June 1996 to July 1999, and resigned from the cabinet of Ariel Sharon after opposing the current prime minister’s "Disengagement Plan." Sharon has since assembled the Kadima party to contest the next parliamentary election, scheduled for Mar. 28, 2006. Recent voting intention polls have shown Likud in third place among Israel’s political parties. Netanyahu has said he would commit to specific policies, including strengthening Jewish settlements in the West Bank, holding referendums on future territorial concessions, and ruling out unilateral withdrawals. On Dec. 16, Feiglin criticized the frontrunner, saying, "The difference between Netanyahu and Silvan Shalom is that Netanyahu could have actually stopped the expulsion." Polling Data Who would you vote for in the Likud primary? First Round Benjamin Netanyahu 45.8% Silvan Shalom 33.4% Moshe Feiglin 9.7% Yisrael Katz 6.8% Second Round Benjamin Netanyahu 56.3% Silvan Shalom 38.4% Source: Shvakim Panorama / Israel Radio Methodology: Interviews with 407 Likud members certain to vote on the primary, conducted on Dec. 14, 2005. No margin of error was provided. |
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