News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has catapulted far ahead of Transportation and Road Safety Minister Shaul Mofaz in a Teleseker poll published in the Hebrew daily Ma'ariv Thursday morning. She has the support of nearly 49 percent of Kadima voters, compared with only 28 percent for Mofaz, who has built his campaign around charges that the Foreign Minister is weak, indecisive and lacks the experience he has in the military.

Foreign Minister Livni scored high marks on her being a better choice for Prime Minister and having a better chance to lead the party to a victory in the next general elections. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will step down from his position after the party primaries in less than three weeks. The election will be decided in the first round if one of the contenders wins at least 40 percent of the votes.