Origin: (Israel) A centre-right party founded by Ariel Sharon in 2005. Sharon created the party after Likud failed to support his plans for imposing a unilateral peace settlement on Palestine. Neither the details of Sharon's plans, nor other parts of the party's programme, had been worked out when Sharon suffered a severe stroke on 4January 2006. Led by Ehud Olmert thereafter, the party emerged as the strongest party from the 2006 elections, gaining 26 seats. It entered a coalition with Labour, but lost in popularity owing to Olmert's handling of the war against Hezbollah in 2006. This forced Olmert to extend the coalition to encompass the ultra-nationalist Yisrale Beitenu party, weakening Kadima's distinctiveness yet further, Olmert's unpopularity persisted, however, so that the party continued to suffer from a lack of sense of direction and leadership.
A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. © 2008
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