Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was the man who set up the Likud
nearly 30 years ago and now he is the man dismantling the
party.
Sharon took his first steps in politics after resigning from
the IDF as a general, becoming one of the architects of the
party's formation.
In 1965 Gachal came together based on the Cherut Party and
the Liberal Party (General Zionists). The fusion of these two
opposition parties posed a threat—for the first time
since the founding of the State—to the political power
of Mapai (now Labor). The opposition was extremely
fragmented. At first the union seemed impossible, yet they
managed to survive two election campaigns, increasing their
power but not taking over the government.
In the early 70s Arik Sharon arrived on the scene after
leaving the Army in early 1973 and he began to work toward
the setup of the Likud. He built the Likud by bringing new
organizations into Gachal. In the 1973 elections the Likud
ran for the first time, winning an impressive 39 mandates.
But Maarach retained power with 51. Nevertheless it became
clear that the Likud's rise to power was likely a question of
time.
Sharon himself was elected to the Knesset — only to
resign due to internal disputes. When the Yom Kippur War
broke out he went back into uniform.
Shortly before the 1977 elections Sharon started the
Shlomtzion Party, running on an independent Knesset list and
winning two mandates.
Those elections hold a prominent place in Israeli political
history due to the transformation that took place in the
Likud. Menachem Begin defeated then Maarach Chairman Shimon
Peres and the Likud took over the reins for the first time in
Israeli history, winning 43 mandates compared to the
Maarach's 32. Menachem Begin became prime minister and Sharon
of Shlomtzion became minister of agriculture. A short time
later Sharon returned to the Likud.
By the following elections Sharon had become a central
figure. After the elections he was given the defense
portfolio and he led the government and the country to the
Lebanon War in 1982.
In 1983 Menachem Begin resigned from his posts as prime
minister and party chairman because of the war in Lebanon,
and Yitzchak Shamir was elected. Meanwhile Sharon was setting
up his own camp in the Likud.
In the 1984 elections the Likud and Labor tied and Sharon
became the architect of a national unity government based on
a rotational agreement in which both Peres and Shamir served
as prime minister. The unity government lasted for six years.
In the subsequent Likud government Sharon was appointed
housing minister and he invested heavily in Judea and
Samaria.
When the Likud, led by Binyamin Netanyahu, regained power
four years later, David Levy forced Netanyahu to create a
high-ranking portfolio for Sharon; thus the Ministry of
National Infrastructures was born. In the middle of his term
Netanyahu made Sharon his defense minister.
Following Netanyahu's loss to Barak in the 1999 elections
Sharon was chosen to head the Likud and in 2001 he trounced
Barak in special prime ministerial elections. In the 2003
elections Sharon defeated Amram Mitzna, leading the Likud to
a major victory with 38 mandates.
The rift between Sharon and the Likud began during this
second term as a result of the Disengagement Plan.
Will this move lead to the end of the Likud or the end of
Sharon's political career? Only time will tell.
