Israel has said its last farewell to Ariel Sharon with a state ceremony outside the parliament building before his flag-draped coffin was taken on a cross-country procession to its final resting place at his family home in the country’s south.
With a crowd of VIPs and international dignitaries on hand, Mr Sharon was eulogised as a fearless warrior and bold leader who devoted his life to protecting Israel’s security.
U.S. vice-president Joe Biden and Tony Blair headed the long list of visitors.
Mr Sharon died on Saturday, eight years after a stroke left him in a coma from which he never recovered. He was 85.
One of Israel’s greatest and most divisive figures, Mr Sharon rose through the ranks of the military, moving into politics and overcoming scandal and controversy to become prime minister at the time of his stroke.
He spent most of his life battling Arab enemies and promoting Jewish settlement on war-won lands.
But in a surprising about-face, he led a historic withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, uprooting all soldiers and settlers from the territory after a 38-year presence in a move he said was necessary to ensure Israel’s security.
His backers called him a war hero. His detractors, first and foremost the Palestinians, considered him a war criminal and held him responsible for years of bloodshed.
The speakers at the ceremony outside parliament largely glossed over the controversy, and instead focused on his leadership and personality.
“Arik was a man of the land,” President Shimon Peres, a long-time friend and sometimes rival, said in his eulogy.
“He defended this land like a lion and he taught its children to swing a scythe. He was a military legend in his lifetime and then turned his gaze to the day Israel would dwell in safety, when our children would return to our borders and peace would grace the Promised Land.”