Likud would win 17-18 Knesset seats and Labor only 17 seats if elections were held today, according to a Globes-Smith survey released on Friday. A Yediot Aharonot poll also published on Friday gives the Likud only 14 mandates, a small increase over last week, with Labor dropping to 21 MKs.
Both polls gave the Kadima party approximately 40 seats. The Labor party has suffered a setback during a period in which terrorists attacks have taken over the headlines. Security is considered the weak point of the party's new leader Amir Peretz.
The Likud has gained since the election of Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu as chairman two weeks ago.
The party is caught in a dispute over a proposal to oust Jewish Leadership faction leader Moshe Feiglin, who claimed Friday morning that Netanyahu has backed off from moves to pass a party law barring candidates who have served in jail for criminal offenses. Feiglin served time in prison in the 1990s for organizing massive road blockings during the anti-Oslo Accord protests. The party chairman's office did not comment on Feiglin's claim.
One of the most drastic changes on the political map, according to the polls, is the possible extinction of the adamantly secular Shinui party. According to a survey conducted by Israel's Army Radio, the party may not have enough support to pass the minimum threshold of votes required for Knesset representation.
"All of our voters defected to Kadima," Shinui MK Avraham Poraz said.
Another significant result in the polls is the relatively high figure of 22 percent who remain undecided. National elections will take place March 28.
Both polls gave the Kadima party approximately 40 seats. The Labor party has suffered a setback during a period in which terrorists attacks have taken over the headlines. Security is considered the weak point of the party's new leader Amir Peretz.
The Likud has gained since the election of Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu as chairman two weeks ago.
The party is caught in a dispute over a proposal to oust Jewish Leadership faction leader Moshe Feiglin, who claimed Friday morning that Netanyahu has backed off from moves to pass a party law barring candidates who have served in jail for criminal offenses. Feiglin served time in prison in the 1990s for organizing massive road blockings during the anti-Oslo Accord protests. The party chairman's office did not comment on Feiglin's claim.
One of the most drastic changes on the political map, according to the polls, is the possible extinction of the adamantly secular Shinui party. According to a survey conducted by Israel's Army Radio, the party may not have enough support to pass the minimum threshold of votes required for Knesset representation.
"All of our voters defected to Kadima," Shinui MK Avraham Poraz said.
Another significant result in the polls is the relatively high figure of 22 percent who remain undecided. National elections will take place March 28.