Itongadol/AJN.- PM says at weekly cabinet meeting, that began with a moment of silence, that Sharon knew that Israel\’s independence is its ability to defend itself by itself if necessary.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who over the years had sharp disagreement with Ariel Sharon, especially over disengagement from the Gaza trip, said Sunday he will forever be remembered as one of the country\’s mot prominent leaders and daring commanders.
Sharon died on Saturday after laying in a coma for eight years after suffering a stroke.
"I think he that he represents the fighting generation of Jews who arose with the renewal of our independence," Netanyahu said at the opening of Sunday\’s weekly cabinet meeting. "He was connected to the land, he knew it was necessary to defend the land, and he knew above all that our independence is our ability to defend ourselves by ourselves."
At the cabinet meeting, which began with a moment of silence in Sharon\’s honor, Netanyahu emphasized Sharon\’s military, rather than diplomatic, legacy. "Arik was first and foremost a fighter and a commander, one of the greatest military leaders that arose among the Jewish people in modern times and through the generations"
Netanyahu praised Sharon for being recruited to Israel\’s defense in his youth, and for the role he played in the War of Independence, the 1956 Sinai Campaign, the Six Day War, and especially the 1973 Yom Kippur War when he led the IDF across the Suez Canal , "something that led practically to a successful conclusion of the war that began amid such difficult conditions for Israel."
Netanyahu also praised him for establishing the fabled 101 commando unit and thereby establishing Israel\’s policy toward fighting terrorism that has lasted until this day: retribution and initiating action.