The party was founded for the
2006 Palestinian legislative election and hoped to emerged from it as the third force in Palestinian politics. However, they severely underperformed, shocking political pundits - the party only won 2.41% of the popular vote and won four seats in total. This result was especially surprising given how the leaders of the party, Salam Fayyad and Hanan Ashrawi, played significant roles in Palestinian political life and were known to both Palestinian and Western audiences. Fayyad served as a Country
International Monetary Fund Director for more than 10 years, where Ashrawi was the spokesperson of the
Palestine Liberation Organization during the Madrid peace conference, and participated in the
Oslo Accords; apart from this, Ashrawi was also an established academic and political activist. Mustafa Barghouti, another leading member of the Third Way, was a former member of the
Palestinian People's Party and the founding member of the Palestinian Medical Relief Committees. Ultimately, the devastatingly weak result of the Third Way, despite featuring well-known political figures, was attributed to the fact that the impressive portofolio of the party's might have backfired. Barghouti, Ashrawi and Fayyad were discredited in the eyes of the Palestinian public for their willingness to participate in the
Palestinian Authority, and their political opponents commonly attacked the party for its perceived elitism and overt support from Western donors. International observers also concluded that the extensive and highly visible Western support of the Third Way backfired and discredit the party's campaign, despite its political platform and the candidates' qualifications. == Members ==