Newcomer 'wins Labour primary in Israel'

Political newcomer Ami Ayalon and Israeli former Prime Minister Ehud Barak were locked in a close race for leadership of the Labour Party today, according to poll results broadcast on television stations.

A Channel Two television poll declared Ayalon, a former navy admiral and head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, the winner, while an Israel TV poll said Barak received most votes.