A new poll shows increased polarization in Israeli politics, with most of the benefit accuring to the far right of the political specturm.
The survey was conducted by PORI, the Public Opinion Research Institute of Israel, among a representative sampling of 1,200 voters throughout the country.
It showed that if elections were held now, the three small parties on the far right would make significant gains at the expense of Likud. The three small leftist parties would gain modestly at the expense of Labor.
On the right, the Tehiya, Tsomet and Moledet parties, which presently represent 10.9 percent of the electorate, would increase their collective strength by 4 percent in new elections.
On the left, the Citizens Rights Movement, Center-Shinui and Mapam would grow from their present 14.6 percent share to 15.1 percent.
The Likud would lose 2 percent, dropping in voter support from 31.1 to 29.1 percent. The Labor Party would slip back by 2.7 percent, from its current 30 percent to 27.3 percent, the poll showed.
The four religious parties would gain a half of 1 percent, increasing their share of the popular vote from 14.6 to 15.1 percent.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
