Even if Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, manages to survive the current challenge to his leadership over his handling of last summer's war in Lebanon, he faces a daunting road ahead.

The vast majority of MPs from his centrist Kadima party closed ranks around their leader yesterday, saving Mr Olmert's job for the moment.

Only three Kadima officials have publicly broken with the Prime Minister – Tzipi Livni, his deputy, Avigdor Yitzhaki, his party chair and Marina Solodkin, a backbench coalition member.

The open mutiny many predicted has simply failed to materialise. But tonight, public pressure against Mr Olmert will pick up.

Polls show about two thirds of Israelis would like the Prime Minister to resign immediately. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend a rally at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv this evening to demand his resignation.

Even if the outcry dies out -- or falls on deaf ears -- Mr Olmert's Government will face renewed challenge in just a few weeks.

That's when the Labour Party, Kadima's coalition partner in Government, is due to hold its party primaries. The May 28 vote will almost surely unseat Amir Peretz, Israel's deeply unpopular Defence Minister, who was also harshly criticised by the Winograd Commission into the Lebanon war.

He will likely be replaced by Ami Ayalon, an ex-Navy commander, who has already promised to pull Labour out of the coalition if he wins.

The text of Mr Olmert's testimony before the Winograd panel is due to be published in the meantime. And in August, the Government will face the final war report – widely rumored to contain personal recommendations that could explicitly call for Mr Olmert's dismissal.

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