Ariel Sharon (February 26, 1928 – January 11, 2014) was a politician and former Prime Minister of Israel.

His ancestors came from Belarus. His grandfather Mordechai Sheinerman was born and raised in Brest (Belarus). He was a staunch Zionist and became one of the founders of the Zionist organization in Brest.

In 1910 Sheinerman with his family moved to permanent residence in Palestine. Then they went to Russian empire, Tiflis and finally returned to Palestine in 1921.

In Tiflis Shmuel Sheinerman (Mordechai’s son) entered Tiflis University. There he met his future wife Vera (Dvoira) Scheinerman, who was a daughter of a rich man from Mogilev (Belarus) and also studied at the same University.

Ariel Sharon was born in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Malala in 1928.

He received Bachelor’s degree of Law Faculty in Hebrew University (Jerusalem). In his youth he joined Jewish army "Haganah".

In 1948 after the proclamation of the State of Israel Sharon interrupted his studies. When the first Arab-Israeli war began he went to the front.

In 1953 Sharon organized and led the 101st special anti-terrorist unit. In 1969-1973 he headed the Southern Military District of the country. In 1973 he retired with the rank of General Major but returned to military service in October 1973 when Egypt and Syria launched a war against Israel. He distinguished at the storming of the Suez Canal. Brilliant leadership of the troops during the War in 1973 made Ariel Sharon one of the most popular people in Israel.

After this war Sharon entered political life in Israel. He was elected to the Knesset (parliament) from the block "Gahal" but soon he abandoned the mandate deciding to focus on military affairs.

In 1975-1976 he was a special adviser to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on security issues.

Sharon joined the Liberal Party on the basis of which in alliance with other opposition groups the right block "Likud" was set up. Since 1977 was a member of the Knesset of this block.

In 1977-1981 Ariel Sharon served as Minister of Agriculture and the patron of the settlers' movement. He developed a 20-year plan for the creation of Jewish settlements in the occupied Arab territories.

From 1981 till 1999 Sharon was Minister of defense, Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour, Minister of Housing and Construction, Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In 1989-1993 he was the chairman of the Central Committee of "Likud". In September 1999 he was elected the chairman of the "Likud".

In February 2001 Ariel Sharon defeated Ehud Barak at the elections and became the Prime Minister of Israel.

In January 2003 Sharon was re-elected as the head of the government. He developed "unilateral disengagement plan" to resettle all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank. This led to the fact that Sharon lost support of the members of his cabinet.

In November 2005 he resigned as leader of the "Likud" and left the party stating his intention to establish a centrist party "Kadima".

December 18, 2005 Ariel Sharon was rushed to the Jerusalem hospital "Hadassah" where he was diagnosed a mini stroke. Two days later he was discharged and returned to work. On January 4, 2006 he was again taken to the hospital "Hadassah" with a broad stroke. After a seven-hour operation Sharon was sent to the intensive care unit and entered into a coma.

After a series of operations he was transferred from the neurosurgical intensive care unit of the hospital "Hadassah" in clinic "Sheba".

In early January 2014 Israeli media reported a sharp deterioration of the former prime minister who was in coma eight years. At first, doctors noted that 85-year old patient revealed acute renal failure and then noted the refusal of other vital organs.

Ariel Sharon died on January 11, 2014.

Sharon was married twice. His first wife died in the mid-1960 in a car accident. He married her sister Lily who died in March 2000 at the age of 63. He had two sons – Gilad and Omri.