Economics professor Ben-David to join Kadima

Dan Ben-David, a public policy professor at Tel Aviv University, will announce on Monday that he is joining the Kadima Party headed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. An American immigrant, Ben-David intended to run for the Labor list but decided against it in mid-December because he "did not want to help [Labor chairman Amir] Peretz damage the economy." A Kadima spokesman said on Monday that several other candidates would be joining the party during the day.