Ariel Sharon Research Paper

Ariel Sharon was the former 11th prime minister of Israel between 2001-2006. He had led invasions towards Palestine and other neighboring countries before and during his political time, in efforts to keep an Jewish state they already have. Ariel Sharon has devoted towards the Arab-Israeli conflict by his actions, which set the feelings that Israelis and Palestinians have for each other during this conflict. Ariel Sharon was born on February 26, 1928, in what once was Palestine, under his Zionist parents, that have influenced him to believe that the Jews need a country for their own. As he grew up, he attended Hebrew schools for further understanding of his religion and has later joined a military group to become a soldier to fight for Israel,
a Jewish state, according to ABC- CLIO. Because of his popularity as a soldier, he was ranked up as an officer, according to Britannica, that gave him knowledge of leading, and have a bias on what side he was on, within the Arab-Israeli conflicts going on. What first made Sharon wide known to the public, was when he was responsible for the mass murders of an estimate of 800 to 3,500 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon in 1982, as the defense minister of Israel, according to The English Club. The purpose of this attack was to drive out the PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, and his forces, but instead received many criticisms for his actions, which lead to rising hate of Palestinians towards him and many other Israeli’s who just wanted peace and not war, which grew tension between him and those against Sharon. This led him to step down from his position as the defense minister, but continue his political existence in the following years.
What was debatably most controversial of Ariel Sharon’s political figure, was his visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on September 28, 2000.
The Temple Mount was very sacred to many Israelis and Palestinians (called “al-Haram al-Sharif” to Palestinians) which held a sacred Mosque to many Muslims. This visit was meant to be peaceful, since the Temple Mount was sacred to both, the Jewish and the Muslims, and was meant to bring both religious groups together. Although, it backfired as Sharon’s presence near the Mosque had outraged many Palestinians, which lead to about 1,500 Palestinian youths protest against Israeli troops with violence, which is known as the second Intifada, according to The Jewish Library and Britannica. This visit has risen pressure between Israelis and Palestinians in their ongoing
conflict.
As the newly elected Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon proposed the Disengagement plan, where there will be the removal of all Israeli troops and settlers that were currently in the Gaza Strip (one of the Palestinian territories), and move them somewhere out of the Palestinian territory.
The purpose was to improve Israel’s security, according to The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although, Hamas, an organization that wants a full Palestinian state, according to CNN, took advantage of the weakened security of the Gaza Strip, and began to fire missiles from the Gaza Strip to Israeli towns and villages. This act of terrorism spread hate towards Palestinians for the dangers that they are putting on the Israelis, and an act of symbolism, from a Palestinian point of view, as to how Sharon’s actions have only caused the Arab-Israeli conflict to increase in tension between the two ethnic
groups.
The fall of the Likud party had made Sharon resign from the party to create a new centrist party, “Kadima”, which would follow the United States Road Map to Peace with the Palestinians. The plan, proposed by the United States, was to allow Palestinian control the West Bank and the Gaza Strip so that peace could finally rest upon the two ethnic groups, according to The Guardian. Following the agreement with the U.S, Ariel proposes that the terrorists would be unarmed, in return for no more withdrawals of Israelis from anymore Palestinian territory. This has led to many peacemakers to join his side, and support him for supported peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and also motivate the United States to join in, in efforts to help bring an end to the conflict.
On the Palestinian side, Palestinians would argue that Ariel Sharon is doing nothing but to provoke a war between the two groups according to the Aljazeera. Because of the slaughter of Palestinian refugees in 1981, his controversial visit to the Temple Mount in 2000, and his disengagement plan had only fueled the outrage that Palestinians had on Israelis. On the other side, there are varied opinions upon Sharon within Israelis. Some believe that Sharon was only doing his best to protect the Israeli people and to protect the Jewish state by improving the security of Israel and bring together both religious groups for peace, and also follow the U.S’s plan for peace in his new political party. Although, Israelis that want peace, share the same belief with the Palestinians, and that Sharon was only causing tension between the two groups by causing events that outrage the Palestinians.
Following Sharon’s death in 2006, his legacy continues on his contributions of the Arab-Israeli conflict. His actions have varied opinions by both Palestinians and Israelis. His motivations were definitely to have a Jewish State, and he is willing to receive it by war or peace. Ariel Sharon has impacted the Arab-Israeli conflict because of his actions that caused feelings of how Israelis and Palestinians perceive of each other.