Israel's Likud bounce back in the polls

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Likud party appears to be recovering from corruption allegations, new polls published today showed.

The main opposition Labour party was meanwhile losing ground or remaining static, just two weeks ahead or the general election.

The polls came two days after Labour leader Amram Mitzna said he would not join a government led by Sharon – a gamble that Labour hoped would energise its campaign and win it two or three more seats.

Instead, the decision seems to have hurt Mitzna.

A survey published today in the Haaretz newspaper showed Likud winning 30 places in the 120 seat parliament, up from 27 a week ago but off its high of about 40 at the beginning of the campaign in November.

Labour was down from 21 to 20 seats in the new poll.

A poll in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper showed Likud at 34 seats, from last week’s 32-33 and Labour unmoved at 20.

The Maariv newspaper put Likud at 32 seats, from last week’s 30 and showed Labour falling to 19 seats from 22.

Another survey, conducted by Geocartographia for Israeli Army Radio, showed Likud gaining one seat to 33 and Labour slipping one, to 19.

Army Radio’s poll indicated that Mitzna’s decision against joining a Sharon government drove away about 12% of traditional Labour voters.

The campaign for the January 28 election has been dominated by accusations of shady deals.

Maariv reported yesterday that Mitzna, who is mayor of the northern city of Haifa, favoured a construction project funded by two American brothers who were convicted on charges of laundering Colombian drug money.

Mitzna dismissed the allegations as the work of his political opponents.

“It is simply nonsense. Anyone who really thinks that drug cartel money is arriving in order to build Haifa, simply nonsense,” he said.

The Yediot Ahronot said today that the British fashion magnate Cyril Kern - who loaned £1m (€1.54m) to Sharon’s sons to help them repay improper campaign contributions – had business ties with a Sharon confidant, an Israeli businessman.

Kern has insisted he gave Sharon the money out of friendship, and the prime minister – trying to dispel suspicion of bribery – has said Kern has no business dealings in Israel. Police are investigating the loan.