News 2020
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The former Israeli leader and frequent nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ariel Sharon, has died in his sleep aged 92. Mr Sharon had been unwell for some time, but family and friends who were at his bedside said that his last hours were peaceful "as befits a servant of God."
Mr Sharon first rose to prominence as a hero of the Israel-Palestine conflict when, as a soldier attempting to bring order to the Beirut refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila, he was faced with overwhelming numbers of terrorists using women and children as human shields. In a signal demonstration of religious tolerance, he allowed Christian forces into the camps, but this liberal pluralism was ill rewarded by the Palestinian side.
Later, as minister of construction and housing, Sharon did his best to solve the terrible overcrowding in what were then known as the "occupied territories", a policy he continued as prime minister. More houses were built in the territories under Sharon's leadership than under any previous Israeli government. The Palestinian leadership, apparently consumed with jealousy, denounced the new estates as "illegal settlements".
Arab opinion was further incensed by Sharon's visit to Temple Mount, formerly the site of the Al Aksa mosque. Horrified at this gesture of reconciliation, the Palestinians began an intifada, or ritual stoning, of any and all Israelis they caught in the "occupied territories", and a violent campaign of terrorism inside the borders of the besieged Jewish state.
Despite these setbacks, Sharon continued working with US Commander-in-Chief George W Bush to ensure peace in the Middle East. Several road maps and generous offers were made with this end in mind, but all were rejected by the Palestinians. Even now, the pathetic remainder of the Palestinian people, crowded into refugee megacamps, seem incapable of settling for the best that Israel is prepared to give them.
The British Foreign Secretary spoke for many when he said, in tribute to Sharon, "History will judge it as tragic that his opponents were unable or unwilling to go the extra mile at a crucial time, and it is to be hoped that future Israeli leaders will rise to the example he has set."
The former Israeli leader and frequent nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ariel Sharon, has died in his sleep aged 92. Mr Sharon had been unwell for some time, but family and friends who were at his bedside said that his last hours were peaceful "as befits a servant of God."
Mr Sharon first rose to prominence as a hero of the Israel-Palestine conflict when, as a soldier attempting to bring order to the Beirut refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila, he was faced with overwhelming numbers of terrorists using women and children as human shields. In a signal demonstration of religious tolerance, he allowed Christian forces into the camps, but this liberal pluralism was ill rewarded by the Palestinian side.
Later, as minister of construction and housing, Sharon did his best to solve the terrible overcrowding in what were then known as the "occupied territories", a policy he continued as prime minister. More houses were built in the territories under Sharon's leadership than under any previous Israeli government. The Palestinian leadership, apparently consumed with jealousy, denounced the new estates as "illegal settlements".
Arab opinion was further incensed by Sharon's visit to Temple Mount, formerly the site of the Al Aksa mosque. Horrified at this gesture of reconciliation, the Palestinians began an intifada, or ritual stoning, of any and all Israelis they caught in the "occupied territories", and a violent campaign of terrorism inside the borders of the besieged Jewish state.
Despite these setbacks, Sharon continued working with US Commander-in-Chief George W Bush to ensure peace in the Middle East. Several road maps and generous offers were made with this end in mind, but all were rejected by the Palestinians. Even now, the pathetic remainder of the Palestinian people, crowded into refugee megacamps, seem incapable of settling for the best that Israel is prepared to give them.
The British Foreign Secretary spoke for many when he said, in tribute to Sharon, "History will judge it as tragic that his opponents were unable or unwilling to go the extra mile at a crucial time, and it is to be hoped that future Israeli leaders will rise to the example he has set."
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