Israel's Netanyahu would win early election: poll [View all]

[oberliner]

(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would win an election if it were held now, an opinion poll showed on Monday as he weighs strategy towards Iran's nuclear program and speculation grows that he will seek a renewed public mandate.

The next parliamentary election in Israel is not due until October 2013, but the right-wing premier signaled on Sunday he was considering moving up the ballot.

A slew of commentators, citing cracks in the governing coalition over formulating a new law that could force ultra-Orthodox Jews to serve in the conscript military, said Netanyahu may opt for an election as early as August or September.

On Saturday, a former Israeli spymaster branded the country's leaders as "messianic", in the strongest criticism yet from a security veteran of threats to launch a pre-emptive war to disable Iranian nuclear sites.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/30/us-israel-election-netanyahu-idUSBRE83T0FZ20120430