Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the trailblazing warrior-statesman who transformed the region and was reviled by Arab foes, died on Saturday aged 85, after eight years in a coma caused by a stroke.
Sharon left historic footprints on the Middle East through military invasion and Jewish settlement-building on occupied land the Palestinians seek for a state but also with a shock decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
The United States and other foreign powers mourned Sharon as a peacemaker, noting his late pursuit of dialogue with the Palestinians. Those talks continue under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though differences remain wide.
Sharon died at Sheba Medical Center, near Tel Aviv, where he had been in a coma since being hit by a stroke at the pinnacle of his power as prime minister in January 2006. His condition had declined precipitously since the middle of last week.
"Arik was a valorous soldier and a bold statesman who contributed much to the security and building up of the State of Israel," said President Shimon Peres, a former political ally of Sharon and, with the ex-premier's death, the last of the Jewish state's founders still in public life.
Aliyetuumba amlipe haki yake kwa yale aliyoyatenda wakati yuko hai
ReplyDeleteAliyetuumba amlipe haki yake kwa yale aliyoyatenda wakati yupo hai
ReplyDeleteR.I.P Sharon
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