Why did Ariel Sharon form the Kadima party?

Ariel Sharon formed the Kadima party in November 2005 primarily because his policy of unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip and certain West Bank settlements faced intense opposition from within his own party, Likud.21

After initially opposing withdrawal from settlements during his 2003 campaign, Sharon eventually concluded that the security costs and casualties associated with defending these areas necessitated a change in strategy. When he moved to implement this plan, the internal resistance within Likud prompted him to break away and establish a new, centrist political alternative.12

By forming Kadima, Sharon sought to create a platform that supported a two-state solution, dialogue with the Palestinians, and territorial concessions intended to maintain a Jewish majority in Israel, positioning the party between the right-wing Likud and the social-democratic Israel Labour Party.2