Sixty-three percent of Israelis want Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign in a sharp public criticism over his handling of the war in Lebanon, a newspaper poll showed on Friday.
The Yedioth Aronoth poll showed for the first time a majority favoured Olmert stepping down, along with a big jump in support for the right-wing Likud party and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. Another poll in the Maariv daily indicated that only 14 percent of Israelis would vote for Olmert if new elections were held today, while 26 percent would back Netanyahu, a former prime minister and finance minister.
The Yedioth Aronoth poll said 45 percent would support Netanyahu as prime minister in new elections.
Meanwhile, some 150 French troops arrived in Lebanon by ship on Friday. Some 50 French troops arrived last week, at the southern port of Naqoura, to join the force. European Union foreign ministers will hold emergency talks on Friday on troop contributions amid growing pressure on their countries to raise commitments.
