Waziri Mkuu wa Zamani wa Israel, Ariel Sharon amefariki dunia jana katika hospitali alikokuwa amelazwa kwa muda mrefu (miaka nane) kwa...
Waziri
Mkuu wa Zamani wa Israel, Ariel Sharon amefariki dunia jana katika hospitali
alikokuwa amelazwa kwa muda mrefu (miaka nane) kwa matibabu ya kiarusi.
Aliyekuwa Waziri Mkuu wa Israel, pia Kamanda wa Jeshi na Mwanasiasa mkongwe, Ariel Sharon amefariki akiwa na umri wa miaka 85 baada ya kulazwa kwenye hospitali ya Sheba mjini Tel Aviv aliyewahi kuwa Mkuu wa majeshi ya Israel na Waziri wa Ulinzi Israel mwaka 1982 alilazimishwa kujiudhulu baada ya kuhusishwa na tuhuma za mahuaji ya halaiki ya Wapalestina katika kambi za Sabra and Shatila yaliyotokea wakati wa vita ya Lebanon.
Aliyekuwa Waziri Mkuu wa Israel, pia Kamanda wa Jeshi na Mwanasiasa mkongwe, Ariel Sharon amefariki akiwa na umri wa miaka 85 baada ya kulazwa kwenye hospitali ya Sheba mjini Tel Aviv aliyewahi kuwa Mkuu wa majeshi ya Israel na Waziri wa Ulinzi Israel mwaka 1982 alilazimishwa kujiudhulu baada ya kuhusishwa na tuhuma za mahuaji ya halaiki ya Wapalestina katika kambi za Sabra and Shatila yaliyotokea wakati wa vita ya Lebanon.
Machi 7 2001 kupitia chama cha Kadima alichaguliwa kuwa Waziri Mkuu.
Ndiye Waziri Mkuu aliyewashawishi Waisrael kujitwalia makazi kwenye ardhi ya Wapalestina, pia na aliwahi kumwita kiongozi wa Wapalestina marehemu Yasser Arafati gaidi ('A terrorist') kwenye ardhi yake Mjini Ramallah, akimtuhumu kuchochea mapigano ya kuishambulia Israel.
Ajabu ya kiongozi huyo ndiye aliyeshawishi Waisrael kutwaa tena makazi 25 ya kihistoria kwenye Ukanda wa Magharibi na Gaza na kuyarejesha kwa Wapalestina baada kuyashikilia kwa miaka 38.
Ariel Sharon asili yake alitokana na baba mwenye asili ya Urusi, ambaye alikuwa muamiaji nchini Israel na kuibuka kiongozi wa juu mpaka nafasi ya juu kabisa ya serikali ya Israel. Baba yake alipokuwa anamwona kachoka alikuwa na kawadia ya kusimama kwa dakika moja na kumkumbusha, atizame ni kiasi gani alichokwisha fanya kwanza.
Kabla ya kifo chake mzunguko wa damu na mapigo ya moyo wake vilianza kufanya kazi vizuri Jumatatu, Alhamisi hali yake ikazidi kudhoofika viungo muhimu vya ndani kama figo na mapafu vilishindwa kufanya kazi kabisa na hatimaye Jumamosi moyo wake ukasimama na kupumzika bila kuwa na maumivu ya moyo kabisa.
Kiongozi huyo alikuwa katika hali ya umahututi kwa miaka nane tangu mwaka 2006.
Makamu wa Rais wa Marekani Joseph Biden, Waziri Mkuu wa Urusi, Sergei Lavrov na Waziri Mkuu wa zamani wa Uingereza, Tony Blair ni miongoni mwa wageni maarufu watakaohudhuria mazishi ya kiongozi huyo yanayotarajiwa kufanyika nyumbani kwake Tel Aviv kesho.
Leo marehemu Sharon anafanyiwa ibada kwenye Ikulu ya Knesset kuanzia saa sita mchana ili watu watoe heshima zao za mwisho na atazikwa kijeshi Jumatatu mchana kijijini kwake alikozikwa Mke wake Lily miaka 37 iliyopita mjini Tel Aviv baada ya ibada itakayofanyika saa nne asubuhi.
By Alan Duke, CNN -- Ariel Sharon, whose half century as a military and political leader in Israel was marked with victories and controversies, died Saturday after eight years in a coma, Israeli Army Radio reported. Sharon was 85.
Sharon died at Sheba Medical Center in the Tel Aviv suburb of Tel Hashomer.
The Israeli statesman was
a national war hero to many Israelis for his leadership, both in
uniform or as a civilian, during every Israeli war.
Many in the Arab world
called Sharon "the Butcher of Beirut" after he oversaw Israel's 1982
invasion of Lebanon while serving as defense minister.
Ariel Sharon: Israeli soldier, statesman
Ariel Sharon legacy linked to military
Sharon and Arafat: Enemies to the end
He was a major figure in
many defining events in the Middle East for decades, including his
decision to turn over Gaza and parts of the West Bank to Palestinian
control.
Throughout, he was called "The Bulldozer," a fearless leader who got things done.
The reaction in his own
right-wing Likud Party to his order to the military to drag some Israeli
settlers from their homes in Gaza led Sharon in November 2005 to form
the political party Kadima, Hebrew for "Forward."
He was in his fifth year as prime minister when he suffered a massive stroke in January 2006, which left him comatose.
Ehud Olmert, who became
interim prime minister after Sharon's stroke, assumed the role of prime
minister after leading the Kadima Party to an election victory in March
2006.
Sharon's career was closely tied to Israel's relationship with Lebanon.
During the Lebanon war
in 1982, Sharon, a former army general then serving as Israeli defense
minister, was held indirectly responsible by an Israeli inquiry in 1983
for the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila
refugee camps. He was forced to resign.
Sharon, who lived on a ranch in the Negev Desert, became prime minister on March 7, 2001.
Ariel Sharon: The Politician
Ariel Sharon: The Warrior
He was the man who
encouraged Israelis to establish settlements on occupied Palestinian
land, but he also was the leader who pushed for Israel's historic 2005
withdrawal from 25 settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, which was
turned over to Palestinian rule for the first time in 38 years.
Sharon formed the
centrist Kadima in an effort to build political support for his
controversial plan to turn over Gaza and parts of the West Bank to
Palestinian control.
In grappling with the
decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Sharon said in
2001, "I can talk and look in the eyes of the citizens of Israel and
convince them to make painful compromises."
As waves of suicide
bombings by militants rocked Israel, Sharon sent tanks and troops into
Palestinian towns, ordering assassinations of Palestinian militant
leaders.
Sharon ordered
construction of the barrier through the West Bank and confined
then-Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat, whom he called "a terrorist," to
his compound in Ramallah, accusing him of encouraging attacks on Israel.
This veteran of all of Israel's wars was a national hero to many.
In 1953, after a wave of
terrorist attacks from Jordan, Sharon the military leader led the
infamous Unit 101 on a raid into the border town of Kibya, blowing up 45
houses and killing 69 Arab villagers. Sharon said he thought the houses
were empty.
In June 1967, as a
general, Sharon led his tank battalion to a crushing victory over the
Egyptians in the Sinai during the Six Day War.
But what he considered
his greatest military success came in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War. He
surrounded Egypt's Third Army and, defying orders, led 200 tanks and
5,000 men over the Suez Canal, a turning point in the war.
As defense minister,
Sharon was the architect of Israel's invasion of Lebanon, an occupation
meant to stop the Palestine Liberation Organization from using Lebanon
as a base for attacks on Israel. The attack was disastrous.
After the Sabra and
Shatila massacre, he allowed Israeli families to settle in occupied
Palestinian land, the same land Palestinians claimed as a future state.
As a result of the inquiry, however, Sharon was forced to stand down and was banned from ever being defense minister again.
"He felt betrayed by his government," said his adviser, Ranaan Gissin.
Sharon made a political comeback in the 1990s, eventually becoming leader of his party in 2000.
That year, he faced more
trouble when he visited the holiest site for Jews, the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem -- known to Muslims as Haram al Sharif, "The Noble Sanctuary."
The stop sparked violent protests. The incident prompted the second
Intifada -- the Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule -- that began
in September of that year.
Throughout his career,
both in the military and in politics, Sharon was the man Israelis turned
to when they thought they had no other choice. Either leading from the
front or calling the shots as an elected leader, he was always the
soldier. Even in his later years out of uniform, his military demeanor
was just below the surface. He never delivered on his promise of peace
and security.
Sharon was born on a
farm outside Tel Aviv. The son of Russian immigrants, he always
remembered a lesson from his father as he ascended to the highest office
in Israel.
"When my father saw that
I was tired, he would stop for a minute and say, 'Look how much we have
done already,'" he once explained.
Sharon, who fought terrorists in his military career and rivals in politics, lost the final battle for his health more than eight years after the stroke that ended his six decades of public service.
GPO
Ariel Sharon at the Western Wall.
The Ministerial Committee on Symbols and Ceremonies decided on Saturday night that Sharon will have a military funeral on Monday at 2:30 p.m., on the Hill of the Anemones outside the ranch, before being buried beside Lily, his wife of 37 years.
Current and former world leaders and senior officials are expected to come to Israel for the funeral, including US Vice President Joseph Biden, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and former British prime minister Tony Blair.
Sharon’s body will lie in state at the Knesset on Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m., to enable the public to pay its last respects.
A memorial service will take place on Monday at 10 a.m.
President Shimon Peres called Sharon a great and courageous leader who loved his people and was loved by them. He said that Sharon knew no fear and that he would miss him personally as a friend.
Courageous leader who loved his people and was loved by them. He said that Sharon knew no fear and that he would miss him personally as a friend.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed “deep sorrow” over the death of Sharon, once a tough political rival, saying he was “first and foremost a courageous warrior and an outstanding general, one of the greatest commanders in the IDF.”
“Israel bows its head on the passing” of Sharon, the prime minister said. “Ariel Sharon played a central role in the struggle for the security of Israel throughout the years.”
Netanyahu’s statement focused on Sharon’s military exploits, saying he played a central part in the struggle for Israel’s security his entire life, and citing his role during the War of Independence, the 1956 Sinai Campaign and the Six Day War, as well as “the critical role” he played when he led his men across the Suez Canal during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He also praised him for establishing the Paratroopers 101 commando unit and for promoting the concepts of retribution and initiating action when fighting terrorism.
Netanyahu, who was fiercely opposed to Sharon’s 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip, said that after Sharon doffed his military uniform he continued to serve Israel in many positions in the government, including as the 11th prime minister.
“His memory will be enshrined forever in the heart of the nation,” he said.
US President Barack Obama called Sharon a leader who “dedicated his life to the State of Israel.”
“We reaffirm our unshakable commitment to Israel’s security and our appreciation for the enduring friendship between our two countries and our two peoples,” Obama said. “We continue to strive for lasting peace and security for the people of Israel, including through our commitment to the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security. As Israel says goodbye to prime minister Sharon, we join with the Israeli people in honoring his commitment to his country.”
In announcing Sharon’s passing after he died at 1:50 p.m. on Saturday, Sheba Medical Center Rehabilitation Hospital director Shlomo Noy said the former prime minister had fought for his life in the past week, determinedly and “against all odds,” and that he had surprised the doctors in how long he succeeded in that fight. Sharon’s heart weakened and he died without pain, peacefully and with his family by his side, Noy said.
Sharon’s vital organs failed, including his kidneys and his lungs. His blood pressure and heartbeat, which returned to normal on Monday, deteriorated again on Thursday, and then his heart stopped beating on Saturday.
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