Impact of Gaza offensive on Israeli election

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-05-2009 14:45

Israel's parliamentary election is scheduled for next Tuesday, and candidates from the three major parties are stepping up their campaigns.

The recent Israeli offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is likely to play a key role in determining the winner.

Israeli Foreign Minister and Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni speaks at a campaign event in Kfar Saba, Israel, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009.  (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

The latest polls by Israeli media show that defense minister and Labor leader, Ehud Barak, has gained the most from Israel's three-week-long Gaza offensive.

His center-left party will likely win 19 seats, up from a low of just eight predicted by polls.

Analysts contribute the rise to his role as defense minister during the operation.

Ehud Barak, Likud Party Leader, said, "It's clear it was an opportunity for the Israeli public to look at the reality of Israel and realize once again that unlike reality TV shows these are real life which needs real leadership and not screen leadership."

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's centrist Kadima party is predicted to lose some votes down from a high of 29 seats predicted in polls before the offensive to 25.