Ariel Sharon

Born in 1928 to Russian Jewish immigrants in Palestine, Sharon rose through the Israeli Army from its founding in 1948, becoming what Yitzhak Rabin called "the greatest field commander in our history." He helped create Unit 101 and led operations including the 1953 Qibya massacre, then fought in the Suez Crisis, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War. As defense minister in 1982, he directed the Lebanon War; an inquiry held him personally responsible for the Sabra and Shatila massacre of Palestinian refugees, earning him the name "Butcher of Beirut" and costing him the post. He championed settlement construction through the 1970s-90s, became Likud leader in 1999, and in 2000 visited the Al-Aqsa complex in a move that triggered the Second Intifada. As prime minister from 2001 to 2006, he built the West Bank barrier and withdrew from Gaza - a reversal so sharp he left Likud to form Kadima. A stroke in January 2006 ended his run mid-stride.