How did Ariel Sharon win the 2001 Israeli prime ministerial election?

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Ariel Sharon won the 2001 Israeli prime ministerial election primarily due to widespread public disillusionment with the incumbent, Ehud Barak.1

By late 2000, the Oslo Accords peace process had effectively collapsed, and the second intifada had erupted following Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount in September 2000. Many Israeli voters held Barak responsible for his inability to halt the escalating violence and criticized him for making excessive concessions during peace negotiations.123

In December 2000, facing these crises, Barak resigned and called for a new election. In the subsequent February 2001 vote, the Israeli public overwhelmingly cast their ballots for Sharon, who campaigned as the Likud party's candidate.314