OBAMA STATES ‘UNSHAKABLE TIES’ UPON SHARON’S DEATH

Washington, 10 Rabi’ul Awwal 1435/12 January 2013 (MINA) – The US President, Barack Obama stated on Saturday following the death of “the Butcher” Ex-Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon on that day, its “unshakable ties to Israel’s security” .

Obama expressed his condolences over the death of “The Butcher” in a written statement saying he would send Vice-president Joe Biden to attend the funeral.

“We continue to strive for a lasting peace and security for the people of Israel,” Obama said, as quoted by Canadian-based media Globe and Mail as well as Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

While Biden said he looked forward to the opportunity “to pay respects to the man and to pay tribute to the unshakable partnership between the United States and Israel.”

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Not only the two elite, Secretary of State John Kerry, former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and other U.S. leaders stated their condolences over the “suspect man” of the killings at the Palestinian refugee camps, Sabra and Shatila, in Lebanon, and that Sharon, who was defence minister at the time, bore “personal responsibility” for failing to prevent the massacre over 3500 people..

Kerry said he would never forget meeting “this big bear of a man” after Sharon became prime minister.

Meanwhile, Bush who held office simultaneously with Sharon, called him a friend and “man of courage.”

“He was a warrior for the ages and a partner in seeking security for the Holy Land and a better, peaceful Middle East,” Bush said.

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“The Butcher”

In 1983, an Israeli investigative commission concluded that Israeli leaders were “indirectly responsible” for the killings at the Palestinian refugee camps, Sabra and Shatila, in Lebanon, and that Sharon, who was defence minister at the time, bore “personal responsibility” for failing to prevent them.

Sharon later found popularity as prime minister from 2001 to 2006. He led Israel’s military response to the Palestinian uprising known as the second intifada, all but ending it by 2004.

The next year, he reversed his years of pro-settlement policies and pulled all of Israel’s soldiers and settlers out of the Gaza Strip.

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That same year he left the Likud Party, which he helped found, and formed the centrist Kadima, a party designed to be centred largely on his own personality.

But only months later, at the age of 77 and considerably overweight, Sharon suffered a series of strokes that left him comatose.(T/P03/P04/mirajnews.com)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)