Ariel Sharon - a life of extremes

There have been few more divisive figures in the Mideast than Ariel Sharon. Some Israelis admired him as hero of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, while Palestinians saw him as the "butcher of Sabra and Shatila." From general to Israel’s prime minister to a coma patient - here are some of the key moments in the life of "Arik," who passed away at the age of 85 on Saturday (11.01.2014).

Sharon’s life was tied to the military history of the new state of Israel. At 20, he fought as a commander in the first Arab-Israeli War in 1948. Four years later, he formed a unit specializing in reprisals following attacks by Palestinian fighters. Two decades later, Sharon daringly crossed the Suez Canal with a tank unit - apparently unauthorized - ultimately securing victory over Egypt.

Sharon's military experience became the springboard for his political career. He was elected to parliament for the conservative Likud party, and served both as agriculture and defense minister. It was during this period that the invasion of Lebanon began, with the aim of expelling the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from Israel's northern neighbor.

After the PLO's withdrawal, a Christian militia allied with Israel attacked refugee camps at Sabra and Shatila in Beirut, killing hundreds of Palestinians. The picture above shows Sharon (right) in 1982 leading his troops to a rendezvous with Christian forces in East Beirut. The Beirut massacres generated international outcry.

After an Israeli committee investigating the Beirut massacres determined that Sharon also bore responsibility, he stepped down as defense minister in 1983. But he remained in cabinet, holding posts as foreign, trade and construction ministers. In 2001, Sharon was elected prime minister, and remained in office until 2005. Pictured above is the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

Sharon held an uncompromising, hard-line position toward Palestinians, consistently calling security for Israel his highest priority. In 2000, he incurred further uproar with a demonstrative visit to the Temple Mount, one of Islam's holiest sites (pictured above). The resulting street fights culminated in the second Palestinian intifada - which lasted four-and-a-half years.

On January 4, 2006, Sharon suffered a stroke and fell into a coma, leaving his deputy Ehud Olmert to take over as prime minister. He was later declared to be in a permanent vegetative state. The picture above shows a life-sized model of Sharon in a hospital bed, presented by artist Joshua Simon's model at the Kishon art gallery in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2010.

After eight years in a coma, Sharon's health had sharply deteriorated and he had suffered serious kidney problems. The 85-year-old passed away as a result on Saturday (11.01.2014). The following day, members of the parliament's Knesset guard bore Sharon's coffin as Israelis paid their last respect. Sharon's funeral takes place on Monday, following the Jewish tradition of promptly burying the dead.