Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon was an Israeli general and statesman who served as the eleventh prime minister of Israel between 2001 and 2006. Known widely by his nickname “Arik”, he was one of the most prominent and controversial figures in modern Middle Eastern history. His long career spanned formative periods in Israeli statehood, from early military campaigns through to far-reaching political realignments in the early twenty-first century. Revered by many Israelis as a brilliant commander and national guardian yet regarded by many Palestinians and human rights observers as culpable for grave wartime actions, Sharon’s legacy remains deeply polarising.
Born in 1928 in Kfar Malal, a moshav in Mandatory Palestine, Sharon was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants who had settled in the region during the Third Aliyah. His upbringing in a secular agricultural environment shaped both his outlook and his early involvement in local self-defence activities. As a teenager, he served in youth patrols, joined the Gadna youth battalion, and later entered the Haganah, the Jewish paramilitary organisation that would form the basis of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Early Life and Background

Sharon, born Ariel Scheinerman, grew up in a household that valued hard work, self-reliance and independence of thought. His parents, Shmuel and Vera, had left the Soviet sphere amid rising repression, eventually establishing a smallholding in Kfar Malal. Although broadly aligned with the dominant Labour movement of the period, the family often resisted communal expectations, resulting in periods of social ostracism within the settlement. Sharon remained secular throughout his life and was fluent in both Hebrew and Russian.
His early exposure to agricultural life and local defence duties provided a strong foundation for the military path he would follow. By the age of fourteen he had joined organised defence groups, and several years later he formally entered the Haganah as the political situation in Palestine deteriorated.

Military Career in the 1948 War

Sharon entered active service during the 1947–48 conflict that followed the United Nations partition plan. By late 1947 his unit was engaged in near-continuous combat around the Jerusalem corridor, conducting raids and ambushes under difficult conditions. His aptitude for leadership was quickly recognised, and he became a platoon commander in the Alexandroni Brigade.
During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War his platoon fought in several key engagements, including the defence of Kalkilya against Iraqi forces. Sharon was severely wounded during the first of the Latrun battles, an unsuccessful attempt to break the Jordanian siege of Jewish Jerusalem. Although a controversial episode later emerged concerning whether he had been taken captive, Sharon himself consistently rejected such claims. After recovering, he returned to command duties and participated in operations in the southern sector, including an assault at Iraq al-Manshiyya in late 1948. On the advice of David Ben-Gurion, he adopted the Hebrew surname “Sharon”, a common practice among early military figures.

Rise Through the Ranks and the Creation of Unit 101

Following the 1948 war, Sharon advanced steadily within the IDF, serving in reconnaissance, intelligence and command posts. His reputation for tactical creativity was accompanied by a propensity for insubordination and unorthodox decision-making. In 1953, under the direction of the prime minister, he was appointed founder and commander of Unit 101, an elite commando force responsible for cross-border reprisal operations aimed at deterring fedayeen attacks.
Unit 101 became known for its aggressive tactics, including operations against Jordanian and Palestinian targets. The most notorious of these was the Qibya raid of October 1953, during which numerous civilians were killed. Although the operation contributed to Israel’s deterrence strategy, it drew widespread international condemnation and remains one of the central controversies associated with Sharon’s military leadership.
Shortly afterwards, Unit 101 was merged with an expanded paratroop brigade, and Sharon continued to command larger formations. Over subsequent decades he played significant roles in major conflicts, including the 1956 Suez campaign, the 1967 Six-Day War, the War of Attrition and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. His command of a daring crossing of the Suez Canal during the latter conflict is often regarded as one of his most successful military achievements.

Political Career and Ministerial Roles

Sharon transitioned into politics in the early 1970s, initially playing a role in the formation of the Likud coalition. He later entered parliamentary politics formally and served in various ministerial capacities through the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. As Minister of Defence during the 1982 Lebanon War, he oversaw Israel’s incursion into Lebanon.
A judicial inquiry in Israel, known as the Kahan Commission, found that Sharon bore personal responsibility for failing to prevent the massacre of Palestinian refugees at Sabra and Shatila by allied militias. He was compelled to resign as defence minister, though he remained influential within government. Among Arab communities he became widely referred to as the “Butcher of Beirut”, a label that contributed significantly to his enduring reputation outside Israel.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Sharon was a forceful advocate for the construction and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a policy he would later partially reverse in dramatic fashion.

Ascent to National Leadership

Sharon became leader of the Likud party in 1999 and contested the 2001 prime ministerial election. His visit to the Temple Mount complex in 2000, during a period of rising tensions, was followed immediately by the outbreak of the Second Intifada. In early 2001 he won a landslide victory over Ehud Barak and assumed office as prime minister.
As national leader, Sharon launched two major policies that reshaped the Israeli–Palestinian landscape. The first was the construction of the West Bank barrier, initiated in 2002–03 as a measure against militant attacks. The second was the unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, which involved the evacuation of Israeli settlements and military installations. While strongly supported by some sections of Israeli society, the disengagement provoked intense opposition within Likud. Unable to secure stable backing for his policies, Sharon left the party and founded a new centrist movement, Kadima, in late 2005.
Many observers believed that Sharon intended further unilateral withdrawals from parts of the West Bank and was positioned to win the upcoming election. However, on 4 January 2006 he suffered a major stroke that left him in a permanent vegetative state. He remained incapacitated until his death in 2014.

Legacy and Historical Assessment

Ariel Sharon’s legacy is multifaceted and continues to inspire both admiration and condemnation. Within Israel he is widely remembered as a courageous military commander and a leader who made difficult decisions in pursuit of national security. Supporters often regard him as a pragmatic statesman who, despite a hawkish past, ultimately took bold steps towards redefining Israel’s strategic posture.
Among Palestinians and international human rights organisations, Sharon is viewed in starkly different terms. Criticism centres on his role in harsh military reprisals, the Lebanon War, and settlement expansion, as well as the belief that he evaded legal accountability for wartime actions. His reputation outside Israel remains deeply contested.