Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon was a career soldier known for aggressive tactics, from reprisal raids in the 1950s to the crossing of the Suez Canal in the 1973 war. As defense minister he directed the 1982 invasion of Lebanon; an Israeli commission found him indirectly responsible for failing to prevent the Sabra and Shatila massacre carried out by allied Christian militia, and he was forced from the post. He became a leading patron of West Bank settlement, and his 2000 visit to the Temple Mount compound helped trigger the Second Intifada. Elected prime minister in 2001, he surprised supporters and critics alike by withdrawing all Israeli settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip in 2005. He suffered a massive stroke in 2006 and remained in a coma until his death in 2014.