According to a poll conducted by Shavakim Panorama for Israel Radio, the Likud party headed by Binyamin Netanyahu would win the general elections if elections were held today. Labor, led by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, would win either second or third place, the poll found. Labor could defeat Kadima if Kadima were headed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, but would lose to Kadima if the party were led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
Barak responded to the poll by calling the results “irrelevant.” He said that he could not allow himself to worry about political considerations while serving as Defense Minister.