Israeli PM, in rare interviews, appeals to his base not to look for alternatives on the right

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is appealing to his right-wing base to cast ballots for his election list, as opposed to a pro-settler alternative, to prevent his being unseated by a potential center-left coalition.

Netanyahu's rare interviews to Israel Radio and Army Radio on Sunday come after polls show significant of voters withdrawing support for his Likud Beiteinu list and redirecting it to a pro-settlement party, Jewish Home.

That's left Netanyahu more vulnerable ahead of the Jan. 22 vote. But while polls show support for Likud Beiteinu dropping, respondents at the same time overwhelmingly choose Netanyahu for prime minister.

Netanyahu urged voters who want him as prime minister not to vote for lists other than Likud Beiteinu. He said the center-left had one objective: "To topple the government I lead."