Most Israelis think the Labor party has lost touch with its roots, according to a poll conducted by Dr. Mina Tzemach of Dachaf for Channel 99, the Knesset channel.
Just 1% of respondents believe there is a strong connection between today's Labor party and the historic Mapai party in terms of values, while 45% believe there is no connection at all.
Many doubt Labor's future as well, with 69% saying they do not believe the party will recover from the recent split in its ranks. Labor head Ehud Barak and several supporters left Labor last week to form a new party that they are calling “Independence.”
Twenty-four percent believe that Labor will go on to be a successful party despite the split.
Those polled expressed doubts about the new Independence faction as well. A full 75% said they believe the new party has no diplomatic platform, while just 8% said they believe it does.
Similarly, 70% said they believe the new party has no social platform, while 8% believe it does. Among those who believe there is an Independence social platform, respondents were split as to whether that platform is socialist – like that of the historic Labor party – or capitalist.
The full survey will be published Thursday on the Knesset channel.