In 1954 reporter Uri Dan met a young military commander named Ariel Sharon and followed him closely for more than half a century. Dan became Sharon’s trusted advisor and a witness to the defining moments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict--from secret meetings with heads of state to open warfare in the Sinai. This riveting combination of political history, narrative biography, interviews, and correspondence sheds new light on the conflict in the Middle East and provides an intimate, definitive portrait of Ariel Sharon--a man whose life is inextricably intertwined with Israel's destiny. With Hamas governing Palestine, Ariel Sharon gravely ill and the party he founded, the Kadima, in control of the Knesset, this book couldn’t be more timely.
About this product: Warrior, statesman, peacemaker–few world leaders have had as dramatic and pivotal a life story as Ariel Sharon. And as this riveting new biography shows, perhaps no modern leader’s life has been as tightly woven into the history of his nation.
Born in 1928 and raised in spartan circumstances on a kibbutz, Ariel Sharon was taught by his parents to take principled stands and then to plow ahead, to “always go see what lies over the next hill.” And for decades to come, Sharon would do just that, forging a life of strength, resilience, and sometimes, according to his detractors, reckless and embittered action, indifferent to the violence it unleashed on his enemies.
Based on unprecedented access to many of the key players in Sharon’s life, hundreds of interviews, and thousands of pages of documents, Ariel Sharon presents a leader who was first and foremost a military man. Sharon fought in Israel’s War of Independence (in which he was left for dead on the battlefield); assembled Israel’s first special forces brigade, the wild Unit 101; and led the Lebanon War, the most controversial campaign in Israel’s history. As a general, he directed military campaigns that are still studied in military academies across the world.
Yet Sharon was also a political animal. This book explores his fraught relationships with prime ministers David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin, as well as with legendary minister of defense Moshe Dayan; Sharon’s removal as defense minister after the massacre in the Palestinian refugee camps in Sabra and Shatila; his thirty-year championing of the settlement movement in Gaza and the West Bank; his visit to the Temple Mount in 2000, which lit the fuse for the second Intifada; and his startling decision as prime minister to initiate “disengagement,” uprooting settlers, destroying settlements, and dividing his country.
Sharon’s personal life has been equally tumultuous and dramatic, as this book grippingly recounts–his first wife, Margalit, was killed in a car accident; his eldest son, Gur, wounded by an accidental rifle discharge, died in his arms. His second wife, Lily (Margalit’s younger sister), died of cancer, concluding one of the great love stories of Israeli public life. And ultimately came the stroke that felled Sharon, removing him from power at a time when the Israeli people needed his leadership most.
Often mired in controversy and scandal, Sharon was a man of inscrutable character, and his epochal life and elusive personality are both vividly portrayed in this book. Sharon was fueled by a rare combination of qualities: courage, love of power, unbridled tenacity, pragmatism, and, above all, a creed that never changed–complete and uncondtional security for Jews.
About this product: Israel's newest prime minister as of February 6, 2001, Ariel Sharon is a dynamic and controversial leader. A hero in Israel's wars, perhaps the most daring and successful commander in Israel's extraordinary military history, Sharon has always been a warrior, whether the enemies were hostile Arab nations, terrorists, Time magazine, or rival politicians. The public man is well known -- aggressive in battle, hard-line in politics -- but the private man has always been obscured by Sharon's dazzling career and powerful personality. In this compelling and dramatic auto-biography, the real Sharon appears for the first time: a complex man, a loving father, a figure of courage and compassion. He is a warrior who commands the respect and love of his troops, a visionary, and an uncompromising, ruthless pragmatist.
Sharon tells his story with frankness, power, intelligence, and a brilliant gift for detail. Always controversial, he is as outspoken as his friends -- and enemies -- would expect him to be.
About this product: This book is written by Norman H. Finkelstein the author of thirteen nonfiction books for young readers on history and biography. It is written with elegance and balance, and has a sure narrative flow. The story of Ariel Sharon's life is told against the background of Israeli and Zionist history, the history in the Middle East through the past century.
Finkelstein is eminently fair in his depiction of Sharon, and indicates major mistakes he has made, strong criticism he has received from the outside world. However his approach to Ariel Sharon is by and large a sympathetic one, and he sees him , rightly in my opinion, as primarily a person who dedicated his whole life to the defense and building of Israel.
Born to strongly Zionist parents Sharon was raised with his sister in Kfar Malal, a small dusty farming settlement fifteen miles north of Tel Aviv. As a young man he joined the Haganah and was involved in key battles in the Israeli War of Independence. Critically wounded in the battle of the Kastel he and a friend dragged their way out of the range of enemy fire. He returned to the war afterwards, and continued to contribute to the struggle for Independence. Determination, and strong will would be the central mark of his character.
Finklestein chronicles Sharon's varied contributions to the Israeli Army including the founding of the first commando anti- terror Unit 101. He is not uncritical of Sharon's actions as commander. He shows how Sharon's disregard of orders would characterize his military career throughout. The battles of the Sinai campaign, where an insubordinate Sharon took his men up the Mitla Pass , of the War of Attrition, of the Six Day War, of the Yom Kippur War are all related here summarily, but with accuracy . Finkelstein also tells Sharon's family story including the two great personal tragedies, the death of his first wife, and the accidental shooting death of his oldest son at the age of twelve. Finkelstein however indicates how strong a family person Sharon was, and indicates the major role his second wife Lilly, who was sister of his first, played in his career.
Finkelstein tells the story of Sharon's political career again capsulizing and giving us the highlights in an accurate way. Sharon's joining the Likud becoming a member of the Knesset, the story of his various roles as minister, including Defense Minister in the Lebanon War are also related.His central role in the Settlement movement and the Jewish building in Judea and Samaria is also described. The book closes in the year 2005 as Sharon is about to order the disengagement from Gaza. This prompts Finkelstein to make the point that Sharon was guided always not so much by a fixed program, but as to what he saw would in the situation bring true security to Israel.
Since the book was published Ariel Sharon has had two strokes, the second of which he apparently will never fully recover from.
This book tells his story in a clear, concise and fair way. It indicates that he has been throughout a person of dedication to the survival of Israel and the Jewish people. It shows how he took heroic and courageous actions, time and time again to forward what he saw as the wellbeing of Israel. It indicates clearly where most believe he erred, and gives a realistic evaluation of his life.
I cannot think of a better brief narrative history of a major military and political figure than this small book.
About this product: There were moments in Ariel Sharon's astonishingly successful military career when he had an incredible way of pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. But he has also been blasted for actions that have led to the deaths of civilians. Even so, Sharon overcame his opposition and adversity to become Israel's prime minister in 2001. At age 72, this was a remarkable achievement; of other modern leaders, only Ronald Reagan and Nelson Mandela were around that age when first elected to their nations' highest office. "Ariel Sharon" is an in-depth biography of this controversial world leader, whose massive stroke and subsequent coma in January 2006 further complicated the already precarious scenario in the Middle East. Succinct text, engaging full-color photographs, and a comprehensive index make this title the ideal go-to reference for students eager to learn more about this key figure in contemporary international affairs.
About this product: The only critical biography of Israel's controversial Prime Minister, otherwise known as "the Bulldozer."
Ariel Sharon is one of the most experienced, shrewd and frightening leaders in the world today. Despite being found both directly and indirectly responsible for acts considered war crimes under international law, he became Prime Minister of Israel, a political victory he won by provoking the Palestinians into a new uprising, the second intifada. Kimmerling describes Sharon's quest to reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. He shows how Sharon is committed to the destruction of the Palestinian political identity, and examines how he has won the support of powerful elements within Israeli society and the present American administration in order to do so. He exposes the brutality of Sharon and his junta's "solutions" and constructs a devastating indictment of a man whose cruelty and ruthlessness have resulted in widespread and indiscriminate slaughter.
About this product: Writing as Sharon's "media advisor" and defender in the court of public opinion, Uri Dan is attempting to build a strong case for the actions Sharon took when he was a general and was accused of questionable military tactics. What I took away from this book was how unfair the legal system can be. Sharon had a judge blatanly biased in his favor. This is clearly desribed by the personal involvement the judge took on his behalf. He had the highest paid legal talent at his beck-n-call for free. He came across in this description as a mean-spirited "do it my way or else" type person. Reading the book many years after the fact, it appears the very reason he denied pursuing the suit against "Time" magazine was his true intent all along, i.e., to make a name for himself politically.
About this product: This digital document is an article from APS Diplomat Recorder, published by Pam Stein/Input Solutions on June 21, 2003. The length of the article is 4033 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details Title: ARABS-ISRAEL - June 16 - Sharon Promises To 'Hound Terrorists'.(Prime Minister Ariel Sharon) Publication:APS Diplomat Recorder (Newsletter) Date: June 21, 2003 Publisher: Pam Stein/Input Solutions Volume: 58 Issue: 25
About this product: This digital document is an article from National Catholic Reporter, published by Thomson Gale on January 20, 2006. The length of the article is 2697 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details Title: Israelis, Palestinians face future in Sharon's shadow.(A LETTER FROM JERUSALEM; Ariel Sharon)(Cover Story) Author: Jeff Severns Guntzel Publication:National Catholic Reporter (Magazine/Journal) Date: January 20, 2006 Publisher: Thomson Gale Volume: 42 Issue: 12 Page: 5(4)
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