ARIEL SHARON DIES AT 85
Former Israeli prime minister dies, local media reports, eight years after he went into coma following a stroke. Former Israeli Prime...
Former Israeli prime minister dies, local media reports, eight years after he went into coma following a stroke.
Controversial figure Sharon was one of Israel's most iconic and controversial figures. As one of Israel's most famous generals, he was known for bold tactics and an occasional refusal to obey orders. As a politician he became known as "the bulldozer", a man contemptuous of his critics while also capable of getting things done. A prominent hardline voice over the decades, he was elected prime minister in 2001. In mid-2005, he directed a unilateral withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip, ending a 38-year military control of the territory. It was a shocking turnaround for a man who had been a leading player in building Jewish settlements in captured territories. He later left his hardline Likud Party and established the centrist Kadima Party. He appeared on his way to an easy re-election when he suffered a stroke in January 2006. His deputy, Ehud Olmert, took over and was elected prime minister a few months later. |
|