Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, classified unfit for office more than two decades ago, continues to defy the political obituarists even after a divorce from his right-wing support base.
Controversy has stalked Sharon, who first came to prominence as commander of the special forces’ Unit 101 in the 1950s, throughout his public life.
A stellar military career, which saw him fight in each of Israel’s wars with its Arab neighbours, was followed by an equally rumbustious political career firmly on the right of Israeli politics.
Highlights (or lowlights) include masterminding as defence minister the disastrous 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the evacuation of settlers from the Sinai peninsula, his championing of large-scale settlement construction as housing minister in the 1990s and accusations that he triggered the latest Palestinian uprising by touring Jerusalem’s disputed al-Aqsa/Temple Mount compound.
Since assuming the premiership in 2001, the 77-year-old managed to override protests from old supporters to withdraw troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip and avoid the fallout of a wave of corruption scandals.
Such a CV would have long killed off most careers but, to the immense dismay of his detractors and rivals, polls on Tuesday put Sharon in line for a third term as prime minister as the head of a new centrist party after he announced that he was leaving the right-wing Likud faction he helped found.
It is a remarkable final chapter, considering Sharon was forced to resign as defence minister in 1983 in disgrace after being held ”indirectly responsible” for the massacres at the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon perpetrated by his Christian Phalangist allies.
Despite a judicial commission’s recommendation that Sharon was unfit for public office, he has never been one meekly to accept the judgement of others.
Learning from his mistakes
So what is it about Sharon that allows him to defy the odds?
”He has made practically every mistake in the book, but he has also had the benefit of learning from his mistakes,” said Israeli analyst Dan Schueftan.
While his failings may be manifest, episodes such as the war in Lebanon that have so shaped his international reputation are not seen as indelible black marks at home.
Schueftan believes the key to his endurance is that he has a finger on the pulse of the man on the street who respects his leadership qualities.
”Likud has been hijacked by the deep right and Labour by the deep left, and people want something in the centre of the political stage,” said Schueftan. ”Added to that how he has demonstrated leadership, then you have good reason why he is probably going to the leader of the largest party.”
Even a series of corruption scandals, including one that is likely to end in a prison sentence for his son Omri, have been tolerated.
According to Menachem Hofnung, an expert in Israeli politics at Jerusalem’s Hebrew university, the scandals that have dogged Sharon are not of prime concern to most voters and his status as a ”war hero” meant he has been widely regarded as a man to be trusted with the nation’s security.
”Unfortunately, Israelis look at corruption as something that just goes on in politics. It does not have much effect on their electoral preferences,” he said. ”It’s more to do with his ability to deliver the goods. He has proven to be a very able prime minister over the last four years.” — Sapa-AFP