How a radical political experiment in Israel rose to power and vanished within a decade.
In short: Founded by Ariel Sharon in 2005 to bypass traditional party stalemates, Kadima promised a centrist path toward peace and territorial reform. It quickly became Israel's largest party, yet internal volatility, leadership transitions, and shifting voter loyalties saw it collapse from a governing powerhouse to political irrelevance by 2015.
Kadima, meaning 'Forward,' was established on 24 November 2005 by Ariel Sharon, who defected from Likud to secure the political freedom necessary to implement his unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip. The party was designed to be a centrist, liberal force, attracting moderates from both Likud and Labor. Despite its name being favored by Sharon, it was nearly called 'National Responsibility,' a title that focus groups actually preferred over the eventual choice.
The party's trajectory was fundamentally altered by Sharon's health. Just weeks after its formation, Sharon suffered a minor stroke in December 2005, followed by a massive hemorrhagic stroke on 4 January 2006. Ehud Olmert took the helm, leading Kadima to victory in the 2006 elections with 29 seats. Under Tzipi Livni, the party again won the most seats in 2009, yet failed to form a government, leaving Benjamin Netanyahu to lead the coalition. This period highlighted the party's ideological ambiguity, as it struggled to define a distinct identity between the traditional left and right.
By 2012, internal fractures deepened. Shaul Mofaz defeated Livni in a leadership election, prompting the party's progressive wing to break away and form Hatnua. The 2013 legislative election proved catastrophic; Kadima lost nearly 90% of its vote share, barely clearing the electoral threshold with only two seats. Following Mofaz's retirement and a brief, unsuccessful stint under Akram Hasson, the party opted not to contest the 2015 elections, effectively ending its political life.
Kadima's legacy remains a subject of debate. While it successfully attracted left-leaning voters and championed a two-state solution, its reliance on the personal authority of its founders left it vulnerable. Its rapid rise and fall illustrate the fluidity of the Israeli political landscape, where the boundaries between center-left and center-right often blur, yet party loyalty remains notoriously fragile.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Kadima
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