A career marked by stubborn resolve

ARIEL Sharon is a farmer-turned-soldier, a war hero-turned-politician, a hard-charging Israeli who built Jewish settlements on war-won land but didn’t shy away from destroying them when they collided with his bigger design.

In the twilight of a tumultuous life, this longtime opponent of concessions to the Arabs has ended up giving away territory and offering the Palestinians a state of their own.

His era has spanned the Middle East conflict from its early skirmishes through five wars, during one of which he was painted as his nation’s saviour, and in another as its disgrace.