Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid is steeply losing his popularity, said a poll due to be published on Friday by local Ha'aretz daily newspaper.

Even before the tax hikes and budget cuts in the planned 2013- 2014 austerity budget have begun to take effect, only 19 percent of the public are satisfied with Lapid's performance since entering office, whereas 53 percent are dissatisfied.

Lapid, who led his Yesh Atid Party to a meteoric success in the January 22 elections, has led his new party to become the second largest in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) with 19 seats out of 120, second to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party.

He promised Israeli voters that he would fight for the working middle class and for the equalization of the burden in the Israeli society in different aspects of life. However, since the austerity measures were announced, Lapid has been viewed as retracting his former promises.

On Saturday, more than 10,000 Israelis protested against Lapid and his austerity budget across the country, saying that the moves would crush the Israeli middle and lower classes.

Meanwhile, the poll showed that 53 percent of Israelis are dissatisfied with the performance of Netanyahu, while 39 percent of the public were satisfied.

Lapid, a former popular news anchor and TV personality, cherishes public support and converses with his constituents on his Facebook page frequently. However, economic indicators showed that it would be hard for him to regain his popularity.

On Wednesday, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that Israel ranked the most impoverished country among the 34 economically developed countries and the fifth largest income inequalities. Endi

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