Ariel Sharon (February 26, 1928 – January 11, 2014) was anIsraeli politician ofLikud and laterKadima. Sharon wasPrime Minister ofIsrael from 2001 to 2006.
Sharon was born on February 27, 1928 inKfar Malal,British-Palestine. Sharon was in the Israel Army for many years. He fought in numerous battles, and in 1974 he left thearmy as General. After leaving the army he decided to go topolitics.
In 1977, he became Minister ofAgriculture. In 1981 he became the Minister of Defence. In 1983, he was sent away from thegovernment as Minister of Defence after he was found to be guilty for not preventing a massacre inLebanon where many hundreds of civilians were killed by other civilians.
In 2001, he was elected for Prime Minister after the war betweenIsrael andPalestine started. In 2004, he surprised many people when he said that Israel will get out of theGaza Strip, which is the place where many Palestinian people live.
In December 2005, Sharon was taken intohospital. On January 4, 2006, Sharon was again taken to thehospital. He had a big stroke (bleeding in thebrain).
Rumours spread immediately of his death, though these were denied by hisphysicians. It was soon reported and later confirmed that Sharon was in acoma.Ehud Olmert, another member of Sharon's newly formedKadima party, was acting Prime Minister until elections were held in Israel, after which Olmert became Prime Minister of Israel.
Sharon died on 11 January 2014.[1] He died fromkidney failure andstroke complications at the hospital inRamat Gan. He had been in acoma at the time. He was aged 85.[2][3]
Hisstate funeral was held on 13 January. He was buried in line withJewish burial customs. It was held as soon after death as possible. The day before the funeral, Sharon's body and coffin were placed in theKnesset building for people to see. His funeral began with an official ceremony held in the Knesset chamber. Politicians from Israel and other countries attended. His funeral was then held at his family's farm in theNegev desert. Sharon was buried there beside his wife, Lily.[4][5][6]
PhonecallArchived 2019-03-12 at theWayback Machine – An authentic recording of Ariel Sharon talking to a soldier positioned at one of the Suez Channel bunkers at the beginning of the Yom Kippur War.
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