WJC on Ariel Sharon z''l: 'Probably no single individual fought harder to safeguard Israel'

JERUSALEM / NEW YORK -- The World Jewish Congress (WJC) mourns the passing of Ariel Sharon, Israel’s former prime minister and one of the great military strategists of the 20th century. A hero both on the battlefield and off, Sharon served Israel with unsurpassed courage from its War of Independence until he was cruelly felled by a stroke in 2006. In a coma since then, he died today at the age of 85.

”I spent many hours with Sharon on his farm and learned what a true patriot he was,” said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. “Nobody knew the land of Israel better than he did. The love he showed for Israel was truly unique. He knew that when Jewish security was a stake, there was no compromise.

“Many Israelis may fault one or another of Sharon’s political or military decisions,” Lauder continued, “but probably no single individual fought harder to safeguard Israel. In a climate of fierce debate, he did what he thought was right for his country, whether it was his brilliant encirclement of Egyptian troops during the Yom Kippur War or the withdrawal from Gaza. His tank maneuvers will be studied as long as there are military colleges. His efforts to house and absorb the nearly one million Russian-speaking Jews who arrived in Israel in the 1990s will forever be appreciated.”

Lauder added: “While many people think of Sharon as extremely hard, strong and tough, the Ariel Sharon I knew was very warm and had tremendous sensitivity, especially for his friends. May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may his memory be for a blessing.”

The chairman of WJC Israel, Shai Hermesh, served under Sharon’s command in the Yom Kippur War and crossed the Suez Canal with him. Neighbors in Israel’s Negev, their friendship blossomed when Hermesh headed the local council in which Sharon's farm is located. Subsequently, Sharon brought Hermesh into the Kadima Party and worked with him closely over the years.

"Arik was not just a leader but also a wonderful, selfless friend,” said Hermesh, using the nickname by which Sharon was known. “He loved the Negev and its people, and especially its farmers. Arik never forgot us, his soldiers, to whom he was always a warm, loyal, devoted friend and even a father figure. I have lost someone very dear to me, someone who I will never forget."

Ariel Sharon's life

Ariel Sharon was born in 1928 in Kfar Malal. He served in the Israel Defense Forces for more than 25 years, retiring with the rank of major-general. Sharon joined the Haganah at the age of 14. During the 1948 War of Independence, he commanded an infantry company in the Alexandroni Brigade. In 1953, he founded and led the '101' special commando unit which carried out retaliatory operations. Sharon was appointed commander of a paratroop brigade in 1956 and fought in the Sinai Campaign. In 1957 he attended the Camberley Staff College in Great Britain.

From 1958 to 1962, Sharon served as an infantry brigade commander and then as Infantry School Commander. He was appointed head of the IDF Northern Command in 1964 and head of the Army Training Branch in 1966. He participated in the 1967 Six Day War as commander of an armored division. In 1969 he was appointed head of the IDF Southern Command.

Sharon retired from the army in 1973, but was recalled to active military service in the October 1973 Yom Kippur War to command an armored division. He led the crossing of the Suez Canal which brought about victory in the war and eventual peace with Egypt.

In 1973 Ariel Sharon was elected to the Knesset, but resigned a year later, serving as security adviser to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (1975-76). He was again elected to Israel's parliament in 1977. Appointed minister of agriculture in Menachem Begin's first government (1977-81), he pursued agricultural cooperation with Egypt.

In 1981 Ariel Sharon was appointed defense minister, serving in this post during the Lebanon War. From 1983 to 1984, Sharon served as minister without portfolio, and from 1984 to 1990 as minister of trade and industry. In this capacity, he concluded the Free Trade Agreement with the US. in 1985. From 1990 to 1992, he served as minister of construction and housing. Following the fall of the Soviet Union and the waves of immigration from Russia, he initiated and carried out a program to absorb the immigrants throughout the country, including the construction of 144,000 apartments.

In 1996, Ariel Sharon was appointed minister of national ifrastructure and was involved in fostering joint ventures with Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians. He also served as chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Bedouin advancement. In 1998 Ariel Sharon was appointed Israeli foreign minister and headed the permanent status negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Following the election of Ehud Barak as Prime Minister in May 1999, Ariel Sharon was called upon to become interim Likud party leader, and in September 1999 was elected chairman of the Likud.

In February 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister, succeeding Ehud Barak. In June 2004, his government approved the disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria, which was implemented the following year, in order to create the opportunity for peace. On 4 January 2006, after forming a new party, Kadima, in anticipation of elections to the 17th Knesset, Sharon suffered a brain hemorrhage and Ehud Olmert was designated acting prime minister.

Ariel Sharon never regained consciousness and passed away eight years later, on 11 January 2014. He was widowed and is survived by two sons, Omri and Gilad.