The latest Channel 10 poll reveals that Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu is down to 20 seats in parliament. This is also stated in the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz". This is so far the lowest outcome for Netanyahu, with only a few days left until Tuesday when the Knesset election takes place in Israel. Netanyahu's main challenger is the Zionist Union. This consists of Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni. They have 24 seats, according to the poll, conducted by Prof. Camil Fuchs.
Herzog and Netanyahu are fighting a battle in relation to very few seats, which will determine the next leader of Israel.
Current Prime Minister Netanyahu already admitted in several interviews that he is at risk of losing the election. However, according to The Guardian, he claims that it is not his fault, but that "tens of millions of dollars" came from "European states and from left wingers overseas to prevent his re-election".
Reasons for decreasing popularity
However, the reasons for his decreasing popularity have their roots somewhere else. After six years, people in Israel are dissatisfied with the Netanyahu regime and are calling for a change. According to the German newspaper "Tagesschau", in particular, people from the middle class have to deal with low paid work and high living costs. Additionally, the population is tired of Netanyahu's constant warnings of Iran, which promotes the constant feeling of great danger among the people of Israel.
Finally, a less healthy relationship with Obama is adding to his bad standing.
The peace process with Palestine is not developing as it should, which disaffects the life of people living in Israel. Herzog and Livni promise new talks with Palestine, however, how successful they might be is unclear. Though they offer new talks, there are no real solutions about Gaza at the table.
Only when Herzog and Livni seek to establish more dialogue with the US, will changes appear more likely.
This Tuesday, the 17th of March, elections will be held and all ballot boxes will be closed at 10 pm.
