Editing Shaul Mofaz (section)

==Political career==
Following a government crisis in 2002, Shaul Mofaz was appointed [[Defense Minister of Israel|Defense Minister]] by Ariel Sharon.<ref>[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/mofaz.html Shaul Mofaz] Biography at Jewish Virtual Library</ref> Although he supported an agreement with the Palestinians, he was willing to make no compromise in the war against militant groups such as [[Hamas]], [[Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine|Islamic Jihad]], [[Tanzim]], and [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades]].

The fact that he had only recently left his position as IDF Chief of Staff prevented him from participating in the [[2003 Israeli legislative election|2003 election]] (by which time Mofaz had joined Sharon's [[Likud]]). Nevertheless, Sharon reappointed him as Defense Minister in the new government.

On 21 November 2005, Mofaz rejected Sharon's invitation to join his new party, [[Kadima]], and instead announced his candidacy for the [[2005 Likud leadership election|leadership of Likud]]. But, on 11 December 2005, one day after he promised he would never leave the Likud,<ref>{{cite news|author=Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/158162#.UA2QAM8ZVko|title=Israel's Knesset Scorecard: Who's on First|work=Arutz Sheva 7|date=23 July 2012|access-date=23 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725195141/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/158162#.UA2QAM8ZVko|archive-date=25 July 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> he withdrew from both the leadership race and the Likud to join Kadima.

Following the elections in late March 2006, Mofaz was moved from the position of Defense Minister and received the [[Transportation Minister of Israel|Transport ministry]] in the new Cabinet installed on 4 May 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://imeu.net/news/article0014270.shtml|title=Shaul Mofaz|publisher=Institute for Middle East Understanding|access-date=25 September 2008|archive-date=21 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221022054/http://imeu.net/news/article0014270.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2008, with Israel's then prime minister, [[Ehud Olmert]], being pressured to resign due to corruption charges, Mofaz announced that he would run for the leadership of the Kadima party.

[[File:Shaul Mofaz - Kadima.jpg|thumb|Mofaz at a [[Kadima]] rally, 2009]]

On 5 August 2008, Mofaz officially entered [[2008 Kadima leadership election|the race]] to be the leader of Kadima. That same day he received a blessing from [[Shas]] spiritual leader [[Rabbi]] [[Ovadia Yosef]]. On 17 September 2008, he lost the Kadima party election, losing to [[Tzipi Livni]] for the spot of Kadima's Prime Minister and leader. Livni's narrow margin of 431 votes was 43.1% to Shaul Mofaz's 42.0%, a huge difference from the 10 to 12-point [[exit polls]] margins. She said the "national responsibility (bestowed) by the public brings me to approach this job with great reverence".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-09-18/livni-declared-winner-of-kadima-election/514678?section=justin|title=Livni declared winner of Kadima election|publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|location=Australia|date=18 September 2008|access-date=9 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110145236/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-09-18/livni-declared-winner-of-kadima-election/514678?section=justin|archive-date=10 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h7aMMRdDcFu7Wyb9IYgLLO6EbS_w|title=Livni claims victory in Israel poll|date=18 September 2008|access-date=18 September 2008}}{{dead link|date=January 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Mofaz accepted the [[Kadima]] primary's result, despite his lawyer, Yehuda Weinstein's appeal advice, and telephoned Livni congratulating her. Livni got 16,936 votes, with 16,505 votes, for Mofaz. Public Security Minister [[Avi Dichter]] and Interior Minister [[Meir Sheetrit]] had 6.5% and 8.5%, respectively.

Placed second on the Kadima list, Mofaz retained his seat in the [[2009 Israeli legislative election|2009 elections]], but lost his cabinet position after Likud formed the government.

[[File:Secretary Clinton Meets With Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Mofaz (7414559524).jpg|thumb|Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 2012]]

[[2012 Kadima leadership election|On 27 March 2012]], Shaul Mofaz won the Kadima party leadership primaries by a landslide, defeating party chairwoman [[Tzipi Livni]].<ref name=zohar>{{cite news|title=Shaul Mofaz beats Tzipi Livni in Kadima leadership primaries|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/shaul-mofaz-beats-tzipi-livni-in-kadima-leadership-primaries-1.421130|access-date=30 January 2013|newspaper=Haaretz|date=28 March 2012|author=Ophir Bar-Zohar|author2=Jonathan Lis|author3=Natasha Mozgovaya|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621185437/http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/shaul-mofaz-beats-tzipi-livni-in-kadima-leadership-primaries-1.421130|archive-date=21 June 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Mofaz became Vice Prime Minister as part of a deal reached for a government of national unity with [[Binyamin Netanyahu]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4227035,00.html|title=Mofaz sworn in as minister, deputy PM|date=9 May 2012|newspaper=Ynetnews|access-date=12 May 2012|archive-date=12 May 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512105257/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4227035,00.html}}</ref> Mofaz said during the Kadima primaries that he would not join a government led by Netanyahu.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/after-livni-it-s-mofaz-s-turn-at-the-helm-of-kadima-1.421636|title=After Livni, it's Mofaz's turn at the helm of Kadima|last=Verter|first=Yossi|date=30 March 2012|newspaper=Haaretz|access-date=9 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509125449/http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/after-livni-it-s-mofaz-s-turn-at-the-helm-of-kadima-1.421636|archive-date=9 May 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mofaz had Kadima withdraw from the government coalition over Netanyahu's indecision over a draft reform law and warned that the prime minister was trying to patch together a majority for a vote to plunge the region into war.<ref>Heller, Jeffrey. {{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-iran-idUSBRE86N0YS20120724|title=Netanyahu's ex-deputy warns against attacking Iran|work=[[Reuters]]|date=24 July 2012|access-date=26 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727033609/https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/24/us-israel-iran-idUSBRE86N0YS20120724|archive-date=27 July 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2013 Kadima, only four years after having been the ruling party, received a mere 2% of the votes, barely passing meeting the electoral threshold of the Knesset.

In the buildup to the [[2015 Israeli legislative election|2015 elections]] Kadima was not expected to pass the threshold, as it was raised to 3.25%. Mofaz negotiated with the [[Zionist Union]] alliance to bring [[Kadima]] onto their slate, but ended negotiations when it became clear he would not be their candidate for Defense Minister. Immediately after Mofaz announced he was not joining the [[Zionist Union]] slate, it was announced the former [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)]] head [[Amos Yadlin]] was appointed to the [[Zionist Union]] slate and would be their candidate for Defense Minister. Within a week of his announcement that he was not running with the [[Zionist Union]], Mofaz announced his retirement from politics.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-election-2015/1.639266 Israel election updates / Likud: Livni wrong on Congress' Iran sanctions] Haaretz, 27 January 2015</ref>