Polls and pols, Friday, December 16, 2005

Sharon remains the most appropriate person to be prime minister, with 54 percent support; Amir Peretz of Labor wins 21 percent and Binyamin Netanyahu 16 percent. Kadima meanwhile loses 3 Knesset seats, bringing it to 38 seats, Labor gains 2, bringing it to 23, the Likud remains stable at 11 seats as does Shas, with 10 seats. The Rightist and religious parties (to the Right of Likud) combined lose three seats, bringing them to a total of 22 seats spread out over four parties.

Meanwhile, developments in the territories include an impressive Hamas victory in several West Bank towns including the largest of all, Nablus, where it won the mayoralty. It also won in Jenin and El Bireh, but in Ramallah, Fateh held onto si seats in the city council.

The IDF meanwhile continues its campaign against 'wanted men,' terror suspects,' and the 'terrorist infrastructure.' It imposed a closure on the West Bank and Gaza in the wake of a Qassam launch in the direction of Ashkelon, north of Gaza. But it is leaving the Karny junction open, for goods and merchandise to move in and out of Gaza, albeit at a very slow pace. The air force continued striking this morning at Qassam launching areas and broke the sound barrier over the Strip just before dawn, smashing windows.

The stepped up IDF action, ostensibly in response to five Qassams launched over the last 72 hours, causing neither damage nor casualties, prompted accusations from the Labor camp that Sharon is using his power as commander in chief to 'heat up' the security front, distracting attention from the social issues that Labor's Amir Peretz wants to make the focus of the campaign. Kadima immediately accused Labor of 'speculating in blood,' calling the charges, 'despicable.'

Meanwhile, on Monday, Likud goes to the polls to elect a new leader. Some polls show Netanyahu winning by a landslide, others predict a neck and neck race between him and Silvan Shalom, with results too close to call. Shalom has the better machine, Netanyahu the better stage and TV performance. It might be close. Shalom warns that with Netanyahu at its head, Likud will be reduced to a minor, Rightist party identified with the radicals. Netanyahu says he is the only candidate who can inspire Likudniks to return to the fold. Some 60 percent of past Likud voters say they have abandoned the party, most going to Sharon's Kadima.

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