Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was bid farewell early Monday morning in Israel, eulogized by political leaders including Vice President Joe Biden.
“Like all historic leaders, all real leaders, he had a north star that guided him,” Biden said. “His north star was the survival of the state of Israel and the Jewish people wherever they resided.”
Sharon—who had been nick-named “the butcher” and “the bulldozer” and criticized for his aggressive policies during his career—was dubbed by Biden as a “complex man.” Others recalled his humor and sensitivity.
Sharon was the Jewish state’s eleventh prime minister; his work was cut short by the eight-year coma that he remained in until his death.