Ariel Sharon

Authorities investigated for approximately ten years a 1.5 million dollar loan attributed to family friend Cyril Kern, used to repay electoral contributions that the State Comptroller had ordered Sharon to return. Investigators also examined the possibility that Kern had acted as an intermediary for businessman Martin Schlaff.

Funding for Sharon's 1999 Likud leadership campaign was the subject of a critical State Comptroller report concerning structures and contributions that breached electoral rules. Omri Sharon, who managed the operation, subsequently pleaded guilty and was convicted. Ariel Sharon benefited politically from the campaign but was not personally convicted in this case.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Directly implicated

The January 2004 exchange with Hezbollah, which secured the return of Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three soldiers in exchange for approximately 400 Arab detainees, sparked controversy after disclosure of a former business link between Sharon and Tannenbaum's father-in-law. The State Comptroller examined whether that link had influenced the decision.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Gaza disengagement plan was rejected by Likud members in an internal referendum in May 2004. Sharon subsequently presented a revised version to the government and dismissed two opposing ministers before a crucial vote, securing approval of the plan and triggering a deep crisis within the Israeli right.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Under Sharon, the government maintained the expansion or "natural growth needs" of existing settlements and continued construction of the separation barrier in the West Bank. Its route, expropriations and incorporation of settlement blocs prompted international criticism and legal challenges concerning their impact on Palestinians.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Authorities investigated suspicions that businessman David Appel had provided political support and a highly paid job to Sharon's son in order to secure the Prime Minister's assistance with a property project in Greece and land-related matters. In 2004, Attorney General Meni Mazuz closed the case against Ariel and Gilad Sharon for insufficient evidence.

Attribution

Personally implicated

In July 2004, Sharon called on French Jews to immigrate to Israel "as soon as possible" and "immediately", citing extremely violent antisemitism and linking its rise to the presence of a large Muslim population. Paris described his remarks as unacceptable and suspended consideration of a visit by Sharon.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

The State Comptroller concluded that Sharon had intervened to relax an Israel Land Administration rule on commercial use of structures on agricultural land while his family held land interests that could benefit from the change, despite a directive intended to prevent conflicts of interest.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

On 28 September 2000, Sharon, then opposition leader, visited Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif with a substantial police escort. Palestinians denounced the visit as a provocation; clashes broke out immediately and the incident is frequently cited as a catalyst for the Second Intifada.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Political responsibility

Following the Sabra and Shatila massacres committed by Lebanese Phalangist militiamen, Israel's Kahan Commission concluded that Defence Minister Ariel Sharon bore personal responsibility for disregarding the risk of killings and failing to take appropriate measures to prevent them. He subsequently relinquished the defence portfolio.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Command responsibility

As Defence Minister, Sharon was one of the main architects of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The expansion of the operation far beyond the initially stated objective area, followed by entry into West Beirut, prompted allegations that the cabinet had not been fully informed or consulted about certain stages.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

As commander of the Southern Front, Sharon oversaw a campaign against armed organisations in the Gaza Strip. Human Rights Watch reports that thousands of homes were demolished in the camps and thousands of people displaced, making the operation an enduring controversy over counter-insurgency methods and civilian protection.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Command responsibility

During the Suez Crisis, Sharon committed his paratroopers to a costly battle at Mitla Pass. Military and historical accounts criticised Sharon for interpreting or exceeding his orders by launching a reconnaissance-in-force that escalated into combat, causing heavy Israeli losses.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Command responsibility

Ariel Sharon commanded Unit 101 during the Israeli raid on Qibya in the West Bank, a retaliatory operation that killed numerous civilians and destroyed dozens of buildings. The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 101 expressing its strongest censure of the Israeli action.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Command responsibility