Netanyahu delays Switzerland visit as internal support wavers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed a visit to Switzerland, which was to begin on Tuesday, due to reasons pertaining to internal policy.

A spokesman for Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the Premier should have started his visit to Bern on Tuesday as part of a tour covering three European countries: Switzerland, Britain and Spain. But the spokesman noted that Netanyahu intends to head later for Britain.

On the other hand, former Israeli Prime Minister David Levy agreed to join once again the government of Netanyahu, which he quit in January this year. Levy's decision came following interventions between Netanyahu and Levy on Monday night, according to Israeli radio.

Meanwhile, a result of a questionnaire published by the Israeli daily Maariv on Tuesday said that chairman of the Israeli opposition Ehud Barak will succeed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if early elections are held in Israel. The questionnaire said that Barak will get 44% of votes against 41% for Netanyahu. The results of the questionnaire also indicated that former Israeli army chief of staff will get 52% of votes against only 35% for Netanyahu. The Labor party bloc at the Knesset on Tuesday proposed a draft resolution calling for early elections.