Ariel Sharon Net Worth

What is Ariel Sharon's Net Worth?

Ariel Sharon was an Israeli military commander and politician who had a net worth of $20 million at the time of his death. Ariel Sharon served as the Prime Minister of Israel from 2001 to 2006, and prior to that held various ministerial posts in governments led by the rightwing Likud party. He was particularly notorious for his time as Minister of Defense in the early 1980s, and for overseeing the construction of the West Bank barrier and Israeli's disengagement from the Gaza Strip during his premiership.

Early Life

Ariel Sharon was born on February 28, 1928 in Kfar Matal, Mandatory Palestine to Russian Jewish immigrants Vera and Shmuel. He had an older sister named Yehudit. When he was 10, Sharon joined the youth movement HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed, and as a teenager he began participating in the armed night patrols of his moshav. He also joined the paramilitary youth battalion Gadna.

Military Career

As a member of the Zionist paramilitary organization Haganah, Sharon was involved in the Battle for Jerusalem during the Palestine war. For his role, he was made a platoon commander of the Alexandroni Brigade. Sharon rose in the military ranks following Israel's independence and the advent of the Israel Defense Forces in 1948. He became an integral figure in the creation of the IDF's Unit 101, which merged with the 890 Paratroopers Battalion to form the Paratroopers Brigade. Sharon would become the commander of the group. In his role, he took part in many of the IDF's reprisal operations, including the Qibya massacre in 1953, the Sinai War in 1956, the Six-Day War in 1967, and the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Sharon was praised by many for his military leadership, but he also drew criticism for his politics, and he was relieved from duty in early 1974.

Rise in the Political Ranks

After leaving the military, Sharon entered Israeli politics. In 1976, he founded the Shlomtzion party, which he merged with the rightwing Likud party immediately after Likud's victory in the 1977 elections. Sharon subsequently became Minister of Agriculture. Following Likud's narrow win in the 1981 elections, Sharon was made Minister of Defense. In that role, he orchestrated the 1982 Lebanon War, during which he oversaw the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut. The Kahan Commission determined that he bore "personal responsibility" for the massacre, resulting in his termination as Minister of Defense. Sharon continued to hold various ministerial roles in Likud-led governments until 1992, and again between 1996 and 1999 under Benjamin Netanyahu. During this time, he promoted the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister of Israel

In 1999, Sharon became the leader of the Likud. The following year, while campaigning for the 2001 prime ministerial elections, he made a controversial visit to Al-Aqsa on the Temple Mount that precipitated the Second Intifada. In the 2001 elections, Sharon ended up defeating incumbent Prime Minister Ehud Barak to become the new Prime Minister of Israel. During his premiership, he orchestrated the construction of the West Bank barrier between 2002 and 2003 and Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The latter action prompted major pushback within the Likud, causing Sharon to leave the party and form a new one, Kadima. With an ostensible plan to clear Israel out of the West Bank through a series of unilateral withdrawals, Sharon was widely expected to win the next prime ministerial elections before he was incapacitated by a stroke.

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Personal Life

Sharon married his first wife, Margalit Zimmerman, in 1953. They had a son named Gur. Margalit was killed in a car accident in 1962, and their son was fatally shot while playing with a rifle with a friend at the Sharon home in 1967. In 1963, Sharon wed his late wife's younger sister Lily. Together, they had two sons named Omri and Gilad. Lily passed away in 2000.

Illness and Death

Sharon was in poor health for much of his life. Obese since the 1980s, he was notorious for his excessive consumption of food, alcohol, and cigars. In late 2005, Sharon was hospitalized following a minor stroke and was found to have a heart defect that required surgery. However, Sharon decided to return to work, and in early 2006 he had a major stroke that returned him to the hospital. He subsequently had two surgeries before falling into a coma. Following multiple further surgeries, Sharon was transferred to a long-term care facility at Sheba Medical Center. His condition worsened over the ensuing years, and after eight years in a coma, he passed away on January 11, 2014.

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