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Poll Shows Likud Far Ahead ... A poll of 500 Israelis showed that the Likud would win the Knesset elections with 32 seats, followed by Kadima with only 26, far behind was Labor Party with a only8 seats. This is a major change from a previous poll showing Likud 27 seats, Kadima 29 and Labor 11. In addition the new poll showed Shas would recieve 11 seats, aa would all the Arab parties. Yisrael Beiteinu 9 seats and the Ultra orthodoxparties and Meretz each getting 7 seats. The new right alignment movement founded by the National Religious Party would garnish only 6 seats. There are 80 days left before the elections – a long time in Israeli terms – yet the Labor party can look forward to both Barak and Olmert going home together. What is particularly amazing is that two parties representing limited sectors within Israeli society – Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas – have easily overtaken Labor which used to be the perpetual ruling party. The Likud gained six Knesset seats in the polls in three weeks, and it may gain even more it appears. Kadima, on the other hand, lost three Knesset seats, which apparently went over to Likud and may lose even more. American Public Doubts Peace Prospects ... Only 6 percent of Americans think the United States should stand behind the Palestinians in Middle East peace talks. Only 66 percent of those polled said the U.S. should support Israel in the peace process. Some 80 percent of GOP voters and 59 percent of Democratic were among those backing U.S. support for Israel. Despite "all the problems America now faces at home," 58 percent of those polled agreed more with the statement that "America needs to stand with Israel" than with "Israel needs to take care of itself." Of those polled, only 19 percent think "making peace between Israel and the Palestinians" should be among President-elect Barack Obama's top foreign policy priorities. Almost two-thirds of Americans said they were more concerned about the nuclear standoff with Iran; some 72 percent of those polled agreed with the statement that "even with all the problems that America faces at home now, we must still work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons." When asked what the next president should make as his top priority in foreign policy, 56 percent mentioned "ending the war in Iraq" and 41 percent said "restoring global economic growth." Another 35 percent said Obama must focus on "defeating Al-Qaida and the Taliban," while 33 percent listed "preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons" as one of the most important tasks facing the U.S. Meanwhile, 15 percent believe the U.S. must work on "dealing with the instability in Pakistan," while 8 percent are worried about "meeting the threat of Putin's Russia." Will Israel Ration Water ... Rationing of water for household use could be introduced by spring if this winter is a dry one, Water Authority head Prof. Uri Shani warned. The forecasts are not good for this coming winter, nor for the next two years, he said. Israel has already experienced four straight years of below-average rainfall, bringing the natural water sources dangerously close to becoming contaminated. Farmers will be the first to feel the cuts - severe reductions in water for agriculture are a serious possibility, the cabinet was told. Save water, bath with a friend Israel Growth Predition for 2009 ... The Bank of Israel said that 2009 economic growth is now forecast to be only 1.5%. This is the central bank's third reduction of its growth forecast in recent months, including its previous reduction to 2.7%. According to the latest IMF and OECD projections, the US economy will shrink by 0.7-0.9% in 2009, the European economy will shrink by 0.5%, and the UK economy will shrink by 1.3%. Ministry of Finance figures indicate that 45% of Israel's GDP is exports, half of which goes to the EU and the US. This means that a severe slump in export demand will greatly affect Israel's growth rate. 1.5% GDP growth is tantamount to a recession on the basis of two key macroeconomic figures: GDP per capita and real GDP growth. Given Israel's population growth rate of 1.7% a year, 1.5% GDP growth means a decline in GDP per capita. Since inflation in 2009 is projected to exceed 1.5%, 1.5% GDP growth means a decline in real GDP growth. Drug Smuggling is Booming ... Data by National Police Headquarters showed high increase in trafficking, smuggling in 2008 compared to 2007, with hundreds of kilograms of drugs entering Israel from north, south, east, airport. Police report 40% rise in drug smuggling. Record-breaking 82kg of heroin caught at Jordanian border. According to the data, during 2008 the Lebanon border drug unit confiscated over 122 kilograms (269 pounds) of heroin, some 23 kg (50 pounds) of hashish and some 5 kg (11 pounds) of cocaine. The southern border drug unit confiscated 115 kg (253 pounds) of several different drugs, and just two days ago, on Saturday, 82 kg (180 pounds) of heroin were found in one of the unit's special operations, along with some 80,000 tablets of various kinds of amphetamines. Drugs have also been coming in from the skies, and this year 1.4 kg (3 pounds) of cocaine were found at Ben Gurion International Airport. In the eastern Arava region, a Border Guard unit confiscated 400 kg (881 pounds) of marijuana, some 790 kg (1,741 pounds) of hashish and 36 kg (79 pounds) of heroin). Israeli company to secure Vatican ... Herzliya-based smart cam company gets contract to secure sensitive areas of Vatican City. Deal estimated at $4-$5 million The contract includes the placement of smart cameras along a 60-kilometer (37.3 mile) perimeter of sensitive areas, including entry and exit gates and the wall surrounding the Vatican. The first cameras were installed in the Vatican in 2005 as a preliminary test. The system developed by ioimage uses smart security cameras or a box that is connected to cameras and enhances their abilities. Each camera in the system covers a range of up to 150 meters (164 yards) and can be viewed from any computer that is connected to the internet. Israeli Arab Women Suffer Less Abuse ... Some 70 percent of Arab women in Israel believe women who are pushed, slapped or struck by their male partners do not consider themselves victims of domestic violence according to a recent poll. Some 73 percent of the Arab woman believe that women whose partners curse or humiliate them are not victims of violence. Asked whether they agree with the claim that "sometimes a man acting violently toward a woman is justified and she understands this," 23 percent of the respondents said yes, compared to 71 percent who said they did not.

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