A poll conducted by Teleseker for Maariv has found that in a disagreement between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, the public overwhelmingly believes the latter over the former. Forty-eight percent believe Ashkenazi’s statements regarding the Harpaz affair, while just 17% believe Barak.
In addition, 65% said they would like to see Ashkenazi go into politics.
Lieutenant-Colonel Boaz Harpaz allegedly forged a document that was intended to prevent Yoav Galant from becoming the next Chief of Staff. Ashkenazi has denied involvement in the affair.
A draft of the State Comptroller’s report on the issue reportedly criticizes both Barak and Ashkenazi over tension between their offices during Ashkenazi’s term as IDF chief.
The Teleseker poll also looked into expected results for the next national elections. The poll found a continuing slim majority for the political right, with 62 seats compared to 58 for the political left and Arab parties combined.
The survey found that Kadima head MK Tzipi Livni would lead the party to third place, with 16 seats in place of its current 28 seats. Livni’s rival Shaul Mofaz would have a worse showing, bringing the party just 14 seats.
Kadima voters are expected to stream to the Labor party, which has adopted more traditional left-wing positions since Defense Minister Ehud Barak and several MKs left the party to form their own faction, known as Independence. The Labor party without Barak is expected to get 17-18 seats, making the second largest faction in Knesset.