Sharon led IDF commandos in the 1950s, was a field commander in 1967 and drove the Sinai counteroffensive in 1973. As defense minister, he launched the First Lebanon War, which resulted in an 18-year occupation, and was blamed for the Sabra and Shatila massacre. As a Likud politician, he championed settlements, but as the 11th prime minister, he withdrew all settlers and troops from Gaza. He never emerged from a coma after a stroke in 2006.
Photo: Ya’acov Sa’ar, Israeli Government Press Office