Kadima had left Sharon's original governing coalition. In the past, Shinui had also called itself a "centrist" party because it rejected both Labor's socialism (its economic policies were free-market) and the Likud's opposition to a Palestinian state (however, from an international standpoint, Shinui may have actually been on the centre-right). Justice Minister Tzipi Livni reportedly told Israel Army Radio that Kadima intended to help foster the desire for a separate Palestinian state, a move applauded by leftist Yossi Beilin. Sharon was one of the prime architects pushing for the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier that has been criticized by
Tzipi Livni party members to support a Druze candidate instead because he thought it important for Likud to have Arab representation. Livni served in the IDF, gaining rank of lieutenant. Livni began studying law at Bar-Ilan University in 1979, but suspended her law studies when she joined the Mossad in 1980. She served in the Mossad from 1980 to 1984, between the ages of 22 and 26. According to an interview in "Yedioth Ahronoth" described in "The Sunday Times", she served in the elite unit responsible for Operation Wrath of God. She resigned from the Mossad in August 1983 to marry and