Peres people’s choice for president

Most Israelis want Shimon Peres to be their next president. A Maariv poll published Thursday showed that 60 percent of Israeli Jews want Peres to win the June 13 vote for head of state, with 22 percent backing Reuven Rivlin and 6 percent for Colette Avital. The survey had 500 respondents and a margin of error of 4.4 percent.Its findings, however, may not reflect on views in the Knesset, which chooses the president through a secret ballot. Peres was favored to win the 2000 presidential election but lost to Moshe Katsav, who has stepped aside temporarily amid accusations of rape and sexual misconduct.