Photos: Ariel Sharon, a life in pictures

Young commander Ariel Sharon holds a Sten gun in a photo taken during the 1948 war. Sharon’s successful use of a hit-and-run strategy gained wide praise and led to the first of many promotions. Getty Images

In the 1950s, Sharon was appointed commander of a special operations force known as Unit 101, the purpose of which was to execute reprisal operations in response to Palestinian attacks. In this 1955 photo, he addresses the members of the unit before an attack on Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. Getty Images

During the 1967 War, Sharon, observing an aerial drop in the Sinai Desert during the battle, above, commanded an armored division that achieved a critical strategic victory. Yossi Greenberg/GPO/Getty Images

Sharon and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan during the 1973 War. Called back to active duty from the reserve for the conflict, Sharon was once again placed in charge of an armored division which achieved a significant breakthrough. Getty Images

After retiring from the military, Sharon entered politics and helped to form the Likud Party. When this 1979 photo was taken, during a visit to Egypt with his wife Lily and son Gilad, he was Agriculture Minister. Sahm Doherty/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

For helping Menachem Begin win the 1981 elections, Sharon was awarded the post of Minister of Defense. He reviews an honor guard, above, in October of that year. Getty Images

During Sharon’s first year as Minister of Defence, Israel launched an offenstive into Southern Lebanon. In this photo, he meets with troops during a tour of the Israeli units surrounding the PLO’s base of operations in Beirut. AP

During the Lebanon offensive, as Beirut was under the control of Israeli forces, hundreds of Palestinians living in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps were massacred by a Phalangist militia allied with Israel on Sept. 16, 1982. An official Israeli commission of inquiry ruled that Sharon bore “personal responsibility” for failing to prevent the killings. Ramzi Haidar/AFP/Getty Images

The events at Sabra and Shatila led to Sharon’s temporary downfall in Israel politics. In a February 1983 vote, above, votes are counted on a motion for his removal as Defense Minister. AFP/Getty Images

From the 1970s to the 1990s Sharon championed construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Here he points to the settlement of Peduael in 1992. He would later reverse course in the Gaza Strip, orchestrating Israel’s unilateral disengagement from the territory. Uzi Keren/Liaison/Getty Images

In September 2000, Sharon courted controversy when he visited the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and revered by Muslims as the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque, escorted by hundreds of security personnel. The visit triggered rioting among Palestinians that morphed into the second Intifada. AWad Awad/AFP/Getty Images

A months after the Temple Mount visit, the government of Ehud Barak collapsed and Sharon’s Likud Party won the subsequent elections, making him Prime Minister. This photo was taken shortly after he assumed office in 2001. Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

As Prime Minister, Sharon endorsed the Road Map for Peace put forth by the United States, European Union and Russia, leading to a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas, right, in Aqaba, Jordan in June 2003. Avi Ohayon/AFP/Getty Images

In 2005, Sharon orchestrated the disengagement of Israel from the Gaza Strip, forcing the Israeli settlers there to abandon their homes. In this photo, a group of young Israeli settlers are carried away by policemen from the roof of a house in the Gush Katif settlement. Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

Sharon suffered a stroke in 2006 and fell into a coma from which he never recovered. He was 85 upon his death. David Silverman/Getty Images