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  • Ariel Sharon: Israel Says Final Goodbye

    Ariel Sharon: Israel Says Final Goodbye

    Israel’s 11th Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon was eulogized Monday as “real leader”, a fighter and a “pragmatic politician.”

    Speaking during the 90-minute memorial in front of the Knesset parliament building, U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden said the former Israeli leader always acted in confidence even though some of his actions were controversial. Biden said “he seemed never in doubt” and called him a “complex man.”

    The 85-year-old Sharon passed away Saturday after eight years of being in a coma from a stroke, which cut short his premiership. Many analysts say that he was close to ending the Israeli-Palestine conflict while some criticize him for aggressively using the military to occupy Palestinian territory.

    Sharon was also remembered as a brave and bold leader at the service attended by family, friends, world leaders and members of parliament. Britain’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden were among the attendees.

    Israeli President, Shimon Peres paid tribute to Sharon saying he remembered Mr. Sharon in the early 1950s when Sharon was a young man with big ideas about the state’s defense. He described him as the “the shoulder on whom Israel’s security rested.”  Peres said Sharon defended and protected Israel as a lion.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also echoed similar sentiments, saying Sharon always understood that when it came to issues of state security, Israel must stand firm.

    Mr. Netanyahu used the opportunity to mention Israel’s stand against Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions. He said that any agreement made between the two nations must include the best interest of Israel’s security.

    “The state of Israel will continue to steer toward peace, while protecting our security.” said Mr. Netanyahu.

    Ariel Sharon was buried next to Lily Sharon, his second wife, who died of cancer in 2000.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ariel Sharon, Former Israeli Prime Minister, Dead

    Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has died at the age of 85. He spent the past eight years in a coma after suffering a severe stroke. Sharon was both loved and hated in Israel for his efforts in reshaping the Middle East. He will be remembered as both a political figure and a battlefield general who, despite his critics, was almost always able to complete what he set out to accomplish.

    The head of the Sheba Medical Center, located near Tel Aviv, reports that Ariel Sharon died on Saturday afternoon their time, of heart failure. Sheba Medical Center Director Professor Shlomo Noy explained to reporters gathered outside the hospital that Sharon’s health had made a fast decline during the past week.

    “Over the past week he struggled with surprising strength and determination against the deterioration in his condition. Today he departed peacefully with his loving family at his side,” he explained.

    Professor Noy went on to say the former prime minister had experienced many “ups and downs” in the years since his stroke in 2006.

    Ariel Sharon led Israel during some of the most turbulent times in that country’s history. Often referred to as “the bulldozer,” he witnessed a Palestinian uprising follow failed peace talks in 2000 and the tough military response that followed. He was known, too, as a tough warrior who led “decisive campaigns” during Israeli wars in bothh 1967 and 1973.

    Sharon was widowed twice. Interestingly his second wife was his first wife’s sister. He had three children and is survived by two sons. It will certainly be interesting to see how Israel mourns the passing of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Ariel Sharon Clings To Life After 8 Years In A Coma

    Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is reportedly clinging to life in an Israeli hospital this Thursday. The Israeli political icon has been in a coma for eight long years and has suffered a steady deterioration in his bodily organs. Doctors believe he may not have much longer to live.

    “He is in critical condition and his life is definitely in danger,” said Dr. Zeev Rotstein, director of Sheba Medical center in Tel Hashomer, Israel. “The feeling of the doctors treating him as well as the family with him is that there is a turn for the worse,” he added. Rotstein announced to reporters that Sharon has suffered “critical malfunction” to his kidney and other vital organs.

    Sharon, who is now 85, has been in a coma since January of 2006 after suffering a severe stroke. Just prior to the stroke he was Israel’s Prime Minister and running for re-election.

    Sharon has had a long career that has spanned Israel’s 65-year history. Before becoming a politician, Sharon was also a revered military leader. He started his military career in 1953 and soon became an army major general. He is credited for his role in overcoming the Arab army’s surprise attack on Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. As Defense Minister, he orchestrated the invasion of Lebanon in 1982 in an attempt to snuff out Palestine Liberation Organization fighters. The wars resulted in many casualties on both sides.

    In December of 2005, Sharon had his first stroke. He was placed on blood thinners but then suffered a brain hemorrhage in January of 2006.

    After spending months in a Jerusalem hospital he was transferred to a long term care facility in Tel Hashomer where he is currently being treated. Unfortunately, Sharon never regained full consciousness since 2006 and now appears to be fading fast. His family is said to be keeping watch at his bedside.

    Image via Wikipedia