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Former Finance Minister Bibi Netanyahu. Expected to handily beat Sharon in a two man race. (AP file photo)
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| By Associated Press August 10, 2005 |
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Likud rebel Benjamin Netanyahu would beat Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in primaries for leadership of the ruling party, a poll published Tuesday indicated.
Netanyahu, a former prime minister, quit the government Sunday in protest of Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank. Netanyahu's move was widely seen as an attempt to challenge Sharon for the leadership of the Likud Party.
The poll in the Haaretz newspaper showed Netanyahu winning 47.2 percent of the vote and Sharon garnering 33.2 percent in a head-to-head contest.
The pullout from all 21 Gaza settlements and four in the West Bank, set to begin next week, has alienated Sharon from the traditionally hawkish registered Likud members, who voted against the pullout in a referendum last year.
The poll also looked at a three-way race between Sharon, Netanyahu and Likud lawmaker Uzi Landau.
Landau, a leading opponent of the Gaza withdrawal, announced Tuesday that he is challenging Sharon for leadership of the party.
The poll gave Netanyahu 35 percent, Sharon 29.1 percent and Landau 17.3 percent, Haaretz said.
Netanyahu and Sharon have met senior Likud officials this week in an effort to win their support ahead of their expected races to lead the party. Analysts have speculated that the Netanyahu-Sharon rivalry will lead to a split in the Likud and the formation of a new, centrist party.
National elections are slated for November 2006 but are likely to be brought forward.
The poll was conducted by the Dialog company and surveyed 526 people representing the 152,000 registered Likud voters. The margin of error is less than 4.27 percent, Haaretz said.
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