In Pictures

Gallery

In pictures: Ariel Sharon’s legacy

Sharon was responsible for settlement expansion, building the separation wall and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

In 1982, when Ariel Sharon was Israel(***)s defence minister, Phalangist militiamen allied with Israel in Lebanon(***)s civil war massacred thousands of people living in refugee camps, while Israeli troops surrounded the camps(***) exits.
Published On 13 Jan 2014

Save

Sharon was criticised as the "Butcher of Beirut" following the massacre.
Advertisement
The Kahan Commission, set up by the Israeli government to investigate what happened at Sabra and Shatila, found Sharon to bear "personal responsibility", and that Israel was indirectly responsible.
Israel(***)s occupation of southern Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war sparked anger among many Shia Muslims living in the area - and likely contributed to the birth of Hezbollah, the Shia armed group and political party that is today among the most powerful groups in Lebanon.
In 2000, then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon, centre, visited the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem - along with more than 1,000 Israeli police officers - and asserted Israel(***)s control over the holy area. Sharon(***)s critics viewed the visit as an intentional provocation, and the event is seen by many as marking the start of the Second Intifada.
Sharon was one of the most energetic proponents of building Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Meanwhile, Palestinians living in the West Bank have often been forcibly evicted from their houses for lacking building permits. Above, an Israeli soldier stands guard as heavy machinery tears down a Palestinian family(***)s unfinished house in 2006.
Advertisement
However, Sharon drew flak from the Israeli right when he ordered Israel(***)s pull-out from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Jewish settlements in the territory were forcibly dismantled, and their inhabitants evicted. Above, Israeli troops carry a right-wing Jewish settler out of a synagogue as he resists eviction.
During Sharon(***)s time as prime minister, Israel began work on a wall separating Israel from the occupied West Bank. Above, a Palestinian woman stands next to a section of the barrier at Israel(***)s Qalandia checkpoint.
Ariel Sharon left the right-wing Likud party to form Kadima, which drew supporters of Sharon who also backed his plan to withdraw from Gaza. Above, Kadima party supporters celebrated their victory in the 2006 general elections, which made Ehud Olmert prime minister.