Three opinion polls published on Thursday suggest Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will lose the vote on his Gaza-withdrawal plan.
Members of Sharon’s Likud party go to the polls on Sunday to have their say on the proposal to remove all Israeli residents and soldiers from the Gaza Strip.
The plan also calls for the dismantling of several Israeli villages in Samaria – the northern end of the West Bank.
One poll showed a 16 percent swing against Sharon’s plan within a week.
The surveys suggest a majority against the plan of anywhere from three to 12%.
Some 13% remain undecided and it is thought they could be the determining factor when the count begins at 10 p.m. on Sunday.
It is understood that Sharon and his advisers are trying to decide whether Sharon should publicly threaten his resignation in the case of a defeat in the referendum.
They hope that might persuade more of his backers to go to the polls.
Political pundits are predicting turnout will be less than 50%.