Southern Israel: Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon: JERUSALEM - Ariel Sharon was laid to rest Monday at his ranch in southern Israel as the nation bid a final farewell to one of its most colorful and influential leaders a man venerated by supporters as a warrior and statesman but reviled in the Arab world as a war criminal. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Sharon died on Saturday, eight years after a devastating stroke removed the prime minister from office and left him in a coma from which he never recovered. He was 85. Israelis line the route as a military vehicle carries the coffin of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during his funeral at his family farm, Havat Shikmim, in Southern Israel, Monday, Jan. 13, 2014. Israel said its final farewell to the late Ariel Sharon on Monday, staging a state ceremony outside the parliament building before taking his flag-drapped coffin on a cross-country procession to its final resting place at his home in southern Israel. AP Photo/Oded Balilty After Israeli politicians and international dignitaries honoured Sharon, the military funeral carried a more personal tone, with Sharon's two sons eulogizing their father as an inspiration for the nation. On a day full of warm eulogies, speakers made only passing references to the exploits that made him such a divisive figure. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.