2013-J3356

Mourning the death of Ariel Sharon, former President of Israel, celebrated military leader, public official, and statesman

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2013-J3356


LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Ariel Sharon, former Presi-
dent of Israel, celebrated military leader, public official, and states-
man

WHEREAS, It is with sorrow, admiration, and respect that this Legisla-
tive Body is moved to pay tribute to a distinguished leader of indomita-
ble spirit and dedication, whose purposeful life and accomplishments
will forever stand as an inspiration to others; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proud to inscribe upon its records
this memorial to Ariel Sharon, former President of Israel, military
leader, statesman, and farmer, who died on Saturday, January 11, 2014,
at the age of 85; and
WHEREAS, Ariel Sharon was born Ariel Scheinermann to a family of
Russian immigrants; his childhood and youth spent in Kfar Malal, a farm-
ing community north of Tel Aviv, then the British Mandate of Palestine;
and
WHEREAS, Ariel Sharon was involved with the Zionist movement from his
early youth; at the age of 14 he joined the Haganah, a local militia
charged with guarding Jewish settlements, and in December 1947 he became
a full-time soldier in the Israel Defense Force (IDF); and
WHEREAS, In 1948, Ariel Sharon distinguished himself during Israel's
War of Independence; a junior officer, he led an infantry company and
was seriously injured in the battle of Latrun; after the war, he
remained in uniform and served as an intelligence officer while studying
Middle Eastern history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and
WHEREAS, Ariel Sharon continued to gain recognition and notoriety as a
military leader; in 1953, he created and ran an elite military group
known as Unit 101, a special branch of the IDF charged with launching
retaliatory strikes against Palestinian irregulars, and, during a
conflict with Egypt over the Suez Canal, the Arab-Israeli War of 1956,
he commanded a brigade of paratroopers in Sinai who captured the strate-
gic Mitla Pass, but also caused heavy losses on both sides; and
WHEREAS, In 1957, Ariel Sharon resumed his education; he attended
Staff College in Camberley, England, for officer training, and he later
studied part-time for a law degree, which he earned in 1966; and
WHEREAS, Ariel Sharon rose steadily within the IDF ranks, becoming a
major general by the time of the 1967 Six-Day War; as the chief of
southern command, he handled the Suez Canal area during the War of
Attrition in 1969, and also led the operation to quell the Palestine
Liberation Organization in the Gaza Strip in 1971; and
WHEREAS, As the 1970s progressed, Ariel Sharon transformed from a
famous military leader into a public official; he helped to found the
Likud Party from which he was elected into the Knesset in December 1973;
he also initiated a program to create Jewish settlements in such
contested areas as the Gaza Strip during the administration of Prime
Minister Menachem Begin, ultimately overseeing the development of more
than 200 settlements; and
WHEREAS, Fiercely committed to Israel's security, Ariel Sharon was
appointed Minister of Defense by Prime Minister Begin in 1981; in this
capacity he renewed diplomatic ties with a number of African nations,
and assisted in the immigration of large numbers of Ethiopian Jews to
Israel; he was also the principal architect of Israel's invasion of
Lebanon in 1982, which led to a decades-long military presence in Leba-
non by Israeli troops; he was removed as Minister of Defense in 1983;
and
WHEREAS, Undaunted, and steadfast in his commitment to the wellbeing
and development of his country, Ariel Sharon served as Minister of

Industry and Trade from 1984 to 1990, where he was instrumental in sign-
ing the 1985 free trade agreement with the United States, and Minister
of Construction and Housing from 1990 to 1992, where he managed the
building of 144,000 new apartments created in occupied territory to meet
the needs of the country's growing population, which included a new wave
of immigrants arriving in Israel from the Soviet Union; and
WHEREAS, In 1996 this dynamic leader was appointed Minister of
National Infrastructure, and in 1998 he was named Foreign Minister;
Ariel Sharon became the chairman of the Likud Party in 1999; it was in
this position that, in 2000, he made a controversial trip to Jerusalem
to visit the Temple Mount, a Jewish holy site that is also home to the
al-Aqsa Mosque, a site holy to Muslims; he subsequently won election as
Prime Minister; and
WHEREAS, As Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon initially continued
his relentless pursuit of security for his country through military
means, launching Operation Defensive Shield, a military offensive in
several Palestinian areas, in 2002; however, as his time in office
progressed, he shifted his approach towards a policy of disengagement
with the Palestinians; in 2003 he unveiled a plan that called for a
withdrawal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, because he supported
a separate Palestinian state; and
WHEREAS, In 2005, Ariel Sharon broke with the Likud Party to form a
new centrist political group, the Kadima Party; however, he was trag-
ically incapacitated by a massive stroke the following January which
left him in a coma; he was replaced as Prime Minister in April 2006, and
after spending eight years in the coma, Ariel Sharon died at the age of
85; and
WHEREAS, Ariel Sharon was predeceased by his first wife, the former
Margalit Zimmerman, their son, Gur, and his second wife, Lily; he is
survived by his sons, Omri and Gilad; and
WHEREAS, Ariel Sharon was a bold, visionary, and dedicated leader, who
devoted his life to the state of Israel, and was an inspiration to
Jewish people throughout the world; he will be long remembered for his
nearly unstoppable determination to do what he deemed in the best inter-
est of his nation's security; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister of Israel, remem-
bering his purposeful life and countless achievements, and expressing
its sincerest condolences to his family and nation; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
.SO DOC S R3356 RESO TEXT 2013
smitted to the family of Ariel Sharon.

actions

  • 29 / Jan / 2014
    • REFERRED TO FINANCE
  • 04 / Feb / 2014
    • REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION
  • 04 / Feb / 2014
    • ADOPTED

Resolution Details

Law Section:
Resolutions, Legislative

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