Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon, leader of the Likud Party, was elected Prime Minister of Israel in the elections held on the 6 February 2001. For the Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, he is a hero fighting for the Greater Israel. For Arabs, he is a killer with Palestinian and Lebanese blood on his hands. Either way, to many of his own compatriots to say nothing of the Arabs, he still commands fear and loathing as the personification of an aggressive and expansionist Zionism.

Biography

Military Career

1948: Platoon Commander of Alexandroni Brigade

1949: Company Commander

1949-50: Commander of Brigade Reconnaissance Unit

1951-52: Intelligence Officer of Central Command and Northern Command

1952-53: Studied at Hebrew University

1952-57: In charge of Unit 101, nicknamed "The Avengers" which carried out brutal raids against Palestinians.

1956: Commander of Paratroopers Brigade for the Sinai Campaign.

1957-58: Studied military theory at Staff College, Camberley, UK.

1958: Training Commander, General Staff

1958-69: Commander of Infantry School

1962-64: Commander of Armoured Brigade

1964: Became Head of the Training Department of Defence Forces

1967: Head of Brigade Group during Six-Day War. Afterwards in charge of "pacifying" the Gaza Strip.

1971: Men under him destroyed 2000 homes, uprooting 16,000 refugees as part of a drive to hunt down the fighters from the Palestinian Liberation Army

1972: Reprimanded for his inhumane treatment of Arabs in occupied Gaza

1973: Resigned from the army convinced that he had made too many enemies ever to make Chief of Staff. Recalled as Commander of the Central Section of the Sinai Front during the Arab-Israeli War in October 1973.

Political Career

1973: Founder member of the Likud Front

1975-77: Special Security Adviser to Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin

1977-81: Minister of Agriculture. Also Chairman of the Jewish Agency's settlement department.

1981-83: Minister of Defence.

1984-90: Minister of Trade and Industry

1990-92: Minister of Construction and Housing. He presided over the biggest building drive in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza since Israel occupied the territories in the 1967 Six-Day War. He expanded the number of settlements on the West Bank from 75 to 130, at the same time the number of settlers barely increased.

1996-98: Minister of National Infrastructure

1998-99: Foreign Minister

1999: Chairman of Likud -

2000 By visiting the Haram Ash Sharif complex on 28 September, he sparked the Intifada al Aqsa

2001 Elected Prime Minister of Israel for the first time

2003 Sharon was re-elected Prime Minister

This was compiled by Chris Doyle and Fiona Mackenzie-Johnston

For further information, contact Chris Doyle at caabu@caabu.org or
Tel: +44 (0)20 7832 1310