What You Need to Know about Playing the Kadima Coalition

From AICbackground

--The Kadima-led coalition government began in 2006 with the intention of carrying out drastic steps forward in the Peace Process, but it was paralyzed by many scandals (most of which involved Prime Minister Ehud Olmert), making the coalition both unpopular and ineffective. Towards the end of the coalition in 2008-09, many of Kadima-Labor’s programs were not geared toward visionary policies, but towards surviving the upcoming 2009 election, which polls showed would heavily favor Likud. Indeed, though Kadima finished first among the parties contesting the election, Likud had a wider base of support, and Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud successfully formed a coalition in 2009.

--despite Kadima’s stated commitment to the Peace Process, it was paralyzed on the Palestinian issue by the fact that it could not realistically negotiate with Hamas, which means that it could not reach any meaningful agreements with the Palestinians. Since the Intifada still rages, this meant that Kadima-Labor did not have the tools to stop the violence by diplomatic means, and therefore became committed to the same strategy of harsh military responses to Palestinian attacks that characterized the Likud government of Ariel Sharon. This policy was made manifest most notably in the Gaza Incursion (Operation Cast Lead) in 2008.

--the Kadima government also suffered from widespread international notoriety for its role in the 2006 Lebanon conflict; although George Bush declared the war a victory for Israel, others in Europe and the Middle East saw the war as a humiliating defeat for Israel, and blamed Prime Minister Olmert’s government for committing war crimes against Lebanese civilians during the conflict.

--since Kadima-Labor assembled a very broad coalition for its government, there was significant internal dissension on most important issues. This led to many walkouts by members of the cabinet, and contributed to the overall instability of the coalition, all of which was only exacerbated by Ehud Olmert’s resignation from the Prime Ministership in 2008.

--the Kadima Party's leader, Tzipi Livni, decided that Kadima should remain in opposition in the wake of the 2009 elections, rather than joining a broad coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu. The key area of difference between Kadima and Likud was Kadima's strong endorsement of a two-state solution with the Palestinians, an idea that Mr. Netanyahu did not endorse. In your dealings with other leaders, know that many prefer your policies to those of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and you may be able to play on this cleavage to your political advantage.