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Netanyahu leads polls despite ongoing submarine sale investigation
Two new polls indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still Israel’s preferred choice to lead the country.
According to a poll published by Channel 2 News, a day after Avi Gabbay was elected as the new head of the Labor Party, if elections were held tomorrow Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party would receive 24 seats to Gabbay’s 20.
The poll also indicates that Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party, which had become the most popular party over the past year, would follow closely behind Gabbay with 18 seats. Education Minister Naftali Bennett’s Bayit Yehudi party would receive 13 seats, tying with the Arab Joint List.
Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party would only receive 8 seats while Yisrael Beytenu, headed by Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, would receive just 6 seats.
Netanyahu’s lead over the newly-elected Gabbay is confirmed in another poll conducted by Channel 10, according to which the Likud party would receive 29 seat whilst Labour, the leading opposition party would retain their current number of 24 seats.
Despite Netanyahu’s strong poll lead he has come under more scrutiny following the revelation that David Shimron, the Prime Minister’s personal lawyer and cousin, is one of the suspects detained by police as part of their investigation into the purchase of new submarines, dubbed “Case 3000”.
The Israeli deal to purchase three submarines and naval boats from German company Thyssen-Krupp are the focus of two police investigations into possible wrongdoing.
Shimron was questioned yesterday for a second time and is currently under house arrest. According to reports, the police are investigating allegations that Shimron lobbied defence officials on behalf of Thyssen-Krupp for the submarine sale to Israel. Judge Einat Ron, the president of the Central District Magistrate’s Court, said yesterday that Shimron’s action indicates a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is not considered a suspect in the affair, but reports suggest that he is expected to be questioned by Police as part of the investigation.