According to an online survey conducted by Panels Ltd. especially for Channel 2 news, the Likud party led by Netanyahu would strengthen with 33 Knesset seats if elections would be held today.
Kadima, run by Tzipi Livni, has strengthened slightly with 28 seats, an increase of one seat since last week’s poll results. Unlike Likud and Kadima, the Labor party, headed by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, has actually weakened. Labor has only received 13 seats in comparison to its garnering 15 seats last week.
The Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is our Home) Party, headed by Avigdor Lieberman, has maintained its strength by receiving 13 seats. Shas, headed by Eli Yishai, has lost one vote this week and received eight seats in the poll. The Arab parties collectively received nine votes. Yesterday’s banning of the Arab parties by the Knesset Central Election Committee did not play a role in the poll.
The Knesset's Central Elections Committee voted 26-3 to disqualify both Ra'am Ta'al and fellow Arab party Balad due to the parties' opposition to the Jewish State of Israel and incitement against the State. It remains to be seen which parties the nine seats of Arab parties in the recent survey will go should Arab parties remain outside the Knesset.
Arab Knesset Members stated that they will approach the Israeli Supreme Court and are confident that the courts will overturn Monday’s ban by the Knesset on Arab parties.
Prior to the 2003 elections, the Central Elections Committee banned the Balad party and Ahmad Tibi of the Ta'al party from running by a one-vote margin. The Supreme Court subsequently overturned the ban.
Meretz-The New Party has received five seats. United Torah Judaism has received five seats. National Union has received four seats. The Green Party and the Jewish Home, which received two seats last week, would not pass the minimum number of votes to receive a parliamentary seat.