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| Ariel Sharon lauded at Israel state memorial service | Ariel Sharon lauded at Israel state memorial service |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Speakers at the state memorial for Israel's former PM Ariel Sharon have described him as an "indomitable" man devoted to the security of his people. | Speakers at the state memorial for Israel's former PM Ariel Sharon have described him as an "indomitable" man devoted to the security of his people. |
| PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Mr Sharon was "one of the greatest military commanders the Jewish people have had". | |
| Mr Sharon, regarded by many Israelis as a great statesmen but widely loathed in the Arab world, died on Saturday aged 85 after eight years in a coma. | Mr Sharon, regarded by many Israelis as a great statesmen but widely loathed in the Arab world, died on Saturday aged 85 after eight years in a coma. |
| He will be buried later at the family ranch in the Negev desert. | He will be buried later at the family ranch in the Negev desert. |
| Thousands of mourners paid their final respects on Sunday, when Mr Sharon's coffin lay in state outside parliament - the Knesset - in Jerusalem. | |
| 'Giant of this land' | 'Giant of this land' |
| There were some 20 foreign delegates and hundreds of Israeli dignitaries attending Monday's memorial service. | |
| They included US Vice-President Joe Biden, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Middle East international envoy Tony Blair, Czech PM Jiri Rusnok and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. | They included US Vice-President Joe Biden, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Middle East international envoy Tony Blair, Czech PM Jiri Rusnok and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. |
| Delivering the first speech at the memorial, President Shimon Peres said Mr Sharon was a "living military legend" who also always dreamed of peace for Israel. | Delivering the first speech at the memorial, President Shimon Peres said Mr Sharon was a "living military legend" who also always dreamed of peace for Israel. |
| He said Mr Sharon's shoulders had "borne the weight of the security of our people". | He said Mr Sharon's shoulders had "borne the weight of the security of our people". |
| Mr Netanyahu said Mr Sharon's "unique contribution to the security of the state is engraved in our historical writings", adding: "Your memory will be part of this nation forever." | Mr Netanyahu said Mr Sharon's "unique contribution to the security of the state is engraved in our historical writings", adding: "Your memory will be part of this nation forever." |
| Mr Biden described Mr Sharon as an "indomitable bulldozer... The security of his people was his unwavering mission". | Mr Biden described Mr Sharon as an "indomitable bulldozer... The security of his people was his unwavering mission". |
| Mr Biden also told the Israeli people: "As long as there is a United States of America, you are not alone." | Mr Biden also told the Israeli people: "As long as there is a United States of America, you are not alone." |
| Describing Mr Sharon as "bold, unorthodox and unyielding", but also "warm-hearted, humorous, charming and passionate", Mr Blair called the former PM "a giant of this land" who would "take his place in the history of Israel with pride". | Describing Mr Sharon as "bold, unorthodox and unyielding", but also "warm-hearted, humorous, charming and passionate", Mr Blair called the former PM "a giant of this land" who would "take his place in the history of Israel with pride". |
| Mr Sharon's body is now being taken in a funeral cortege for a brief military ceremony at Latrun, west of Jerusalem, where he was severely wounded in the 1948 war of independence. | Mr Sharon's body is now being taken in a funeral cortege for a brief military ceremony at Latrun, west of Jerusalem, where he was severely wounded in the 1948 war of independence. |
| His final journey will be to the Sycamore ranch he owned near Sderot, close to Gaza. Mr Sharon will be buried beside his wife Lili, who died in 2000. | His final journey will be to the Sycamore ranch he owned near Sderot, close to Gaza. Mr Sharon will be buried beside his wife Lili, who died in 2000. |
| Because of its proximity to Gaza, three security rings are being placed around the farm. | Because of its proximity to Gaza, three security rings are being placed around the farm. |
| The inner ring closest to the grave will be for family and invited guests alone, the second will be open to the public and the third will be a security measure surrounding the perimeter. | The inner ring closest to the grave will be for family and invited guests alone, the second will be open to the public and the third will be a security measure surrounding the perimeter. |
| An Israeli security source said the Hamas government in Gaza had been warned to prevent any rocket attacks. | An Israeli security source said the Hamas government in Gaza had been warned to prevent any rocket attacks. |
| The Israeli military says a battery of the Iron Dome missile defence system is located nearby and that two rockets were launched from Gaza on Monday morning but did not reach Israel. | The Israeli military says a battery of the Iron Dome missile defence system is located nearby and that two rockets were launched from Gaza on Monday morning but did not reach Israel. |
| Gaza withdrawal | Gaza withdrawal |
| No-one from the Arab world, Africa or Latin America was attending Monday's ceremonies. | No-one from the Arab world, Africa or Latin America was attending Monday's ceremonies. |
| Mr Sharon's active role in four wars, from Israel's independence in 1948 until 1973, and later in government as the man who ordered the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, meant he was widely hated across the Arab world. | Mr Sharon's active role in four wars, from Israel's independence in 1948 until 1973, and later in government as the man who ordered the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, meant he was widely hated across the Arab world. |
| Palestinians saw him as a war criminal, because of the 1982 massacre by Christian Phalangist militia at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. An Israeli inquiry found Mr Sharon responsible for failing to prevent the killings. | Palestinians saw him as a war criminal, because of the 1982 massacre by Christian Phalangist militia at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. An Israeli inquiry found Mr Sharon responsible for failing to prevent the killings. |
| But months before the stroke that left him in a coma in January 2006, he guided Israelis through a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, with the declared aim of easing tensions with the Palestinians. | But months before the stroke that left him in a coma in January 2006, he guided Israelis through a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, with the declared aim of easing tensions with the Palestinians. |