i was the person who decided to give the same incentives to all of the new immigrants and and made implemented clear -- it was made clear that this decision was one of the best decisions even in the wee hours of the morning or night. theuld discuss difficulties. not agree with his decision to back away. there was one

which i supported him. the division was too strong. division tolow this erase his contribution and his ability and willingness to carry the responsibility of his nation on his shoulders. for eight years, you continued to struggle. -- hele for each one fought for every fresh wrath. you could. only -- tonted to continue return to your great love, the ranch. to return to visit the grave of your wife.

and her family which you loved so much. rest in peace. , former prime minister knesset member and prime minister ariel sharon. may her memory be last forever. -- your memory be blessed for ever. >>

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>> i am on and to invite the

vice president of the united states of america, the honorable job biden. -- mr. joe biden. >> when a close knit country a country that has been tested as much as israel loses a man like prime minister sharon, it does not just feel like the loss of the leader. it feels like a death in the family. and many of my fellow americans, some of whom are here, feel that same sense of loss. i say to prime minister sh riyadhdevoted sons in

and the entire family, particularly the sons who spends a much time caring for their soher in the last -- spent much time caring for their weher in the last years, bring the sympathies of the president of the united states and the american people on this occasion. to you and the prime minister netanyahu and to president peres and womanieving man of the -- men and women of the nation of israel. histo his beloved idf, fellow warriors. i fear an attempt to capture him and what he stood for is beyond my capabilities. i knew him for over 30 years. man,s not only a powerful he was a powerfully built man and as a young senator, when you

first met him, you cannot help but understand as they say in the military, this man had a command, a presence. he filled the room. invited toime i was his office, he said to me, i remember thinking how is he serious? said, senator, you're mostly welcome. i did not know if it was a matter of something being lost whether heion, or was pulling my leg as we say in the states. moments with a few him and realized how incredible his hospitality was. for the topic of israel's security arose, which it always, always did and my many meetings over the years with him, you immediately understood how he

acquired as the speakers referenced, the nickname bulldozer. he was indomitable. leaders, primeic minister sharon was a complex man about whom you have already heard from his colleagues, who opinions fromong everyone. but like all historic leaders, all real leaders, he had a northstar that guided him. a northstar from which he never in my observation never was the. his northstar survival of the state of israel and the jewish people. resided.they'v

talking about his spiritual attachment to the land of israel, back in an interview in the late 1990's, he said, " before and above all else, i am a jew. my thinking is dominated by the jewish future. and 30 years, and 300 years, 1000 years. that is what preoccupies and interests me first and foremost, ."d becaus because he possessed such physical courage and i would add a little courage, he never deviated from that preoccupation and interest as he referred to it. it was his life's work.

even someone on the shores hundreds of thousands of miles from here could see, could smell, could taste, could feel. when you were in his presence, there was never any doubt about it. the physical courage he had to lead men straight into enemy lines and deep behind them, i thatber as a young senator iconic picture of him with that bandage around his head, standing there after a decisive victory. which seemed to symbolize as the prime minister said, and israel ael that had reclaimed its roots in standing up and fighting, needing no help, standing on its own. the political courage it took whether you agreed with him or told 10,000

israelis to leave their homes in , an order from his perspective to strengthen israel, i cannot think about a much more controversial as a student of the jewish state, i cannot think of a more difficult and controversial decision to be made but he believed it, and he did it. the security of his people was his unwavering mission. an unbreakable commitment to the , whether 30 years or 300 years from now. we have an expression in the "never in doubt." he was never uncertain from i am survey should. i do not know him nearly as well

as the israeli people and his colleagues, but he seemed never in doubt. actedwere times when he and those actions earned him controversy, even condemnation. american leaders, american presidents have profound offenses with him. and they were never shy about stating them nor was he. -- nor was he ever shy about stating his position. said, from my observation, he was a complex man, but to understand him better, i think it is important, history will judge. he lived in complex times. in a very complex neighborhood. away in the days ahead, there will be much written about prime minister -- the prime minister. it is right for the israeli people to reflect on all aspects of his life, the triumphs, as

well as the mistakes, taking full measure of the man, the arc of his life which i would argue, the arc of his life traced the journey of the state of israel, and through it all, the united states, whether we agreed or disagreed with a specific policy, has been unflagging in its commitment to the state of israel. we have never stepped away. we have never diminished our support. we have never failed to make israel's case around the world. we have never failed to defend israel's legitimacy. that -- in any corner of this world has any doubt about where america stands with regard to israeli security. .he independent state of israel

that is the ultimate refuge for jews, wherever they are in the world. and that will never change. as president obama said when he was here in jerusalem last year adhereuote, "those who to the ideology of rejecting israel's right to exist, they might as well reject the earth beneath them, and the sky above, because israel is not going anywhere. so long as there is a united states of america, you are not alone." ron greatly valued the close friendship between the u.s. and israel. reticular lead during those years as prime minister -- particularly during those years as prime minister he worked to deepen the relationship. i find it fascinating, maybe as

i am getting older. i find it fascinating how some look at israel today and say, its success was inevitable. why did not everybody understand this was just inevitable? at the outset, it it was anything but inevitable. it was the opposite of inevitable. israel's very survival was against all odds. thankfully, israel was blessed with a founding generation that understood exactly what it took to overcome those odds. so many of that generation because of the people of the united states, i had the great honor, of personally meeting and getting to know, i did not know david ben-gurion but i knew all

but one prime ministers since then -- that time. u.n. primeerez, minister sharon -- you and prime minister sharon are part of one of the most remarkable founding generations not just of this nation but of any nation. historians will look back and but for the rare and unique ,en and women at that moment but for that, it is hard to see how we would be standing here on the state. david ben-gurion, golden mayer, menachem begin, itzhak rabin, the list goes on. and you, mr. president, you all from anthing in common

outside observer's perspective. despite your political differences, it was that you knew in your bones what one israeli prime minister told me over 35 years ago. on thewas opining difficulty israel faced around -- surrounded by hostile neighbors at the time. he looked at me and said, senator, do not worry. we jews have a secret weapon in our struggle in the region. we have nowhere else to go. realization, it seems to yours what energized entire generation of leadership. i believe that is one of the reasons why sharon and so many others fought so hard their

whole lives. prime minister sharon was not only loved by the jewish people, , but henly loved them loved the land of israel. of it, but theea actual land itself. born on a farm about to be buried on a farm or ranch. i remember one of the meetings i had with him, it was a somewhat heated -- it was somewhat heated and he had his maps. he spread them out in his office again and i somewhat irreverently said, i said, do you want me to do it or are you going to do it? i had heard his presentation many times. said, letat me and he me tell you about the new cast

my ranch.just got on he started talking about a calf. ladies and gentlemen, the book walknesis says, "arise and the length and breadth of the land." did just that. he'd told as a farmer, he fought for it as a soldier. he knew every hilltop in valley, every inch of the land. he loved his maps. he is to come to the meetings with maps of the land rolled up under each arm. there were always maps. of my -- i am reminded if you will forgive me, an irish poet. an irish writer. i am sure i mr. blair will

forgive me -- prime minister blair will forgive me. the irish writer is james joyce and he said, when i die, dublin will be written on my heart. i am absolutely sure the land of is etched on his soul as it was written on joyce's heart. the defining attributes of this great man's character, the passion for the jewish people, physical as well as political courage, and love of this land, they have all played out on the canvas of the state of israel's historic trajectory. his journey and the state of israel are inseparable. they are woven together in war,

and politics, and diplomacy. toward the end of his life, he said, i have been everywhere. i have met kings, queens, presidents. i have been around the world. i have one thing i would like to do. piece.to reach we will never know what the ultimate arc of his life would have been had he been physically able to pursue his stated goal. that will be for historians to speculate and debate. what we -- we do know this. as prime minister, he surprised many. i have been told, reflecting on the differences between how he viewed things as a general and as prime minister, he would tear phrase and israeli song -- terror phrase and israeli song lyric which said things you see

from here look different from over there. what would they have looked like had he lived in good health and lead those eight years? but theus too soon, work of trying to reach piece continues. to quote shakespeare, "he was a all, wee him all in shall not look upon his likes again." there is a bond between israel , never,united states ever be broken.

to invite thed special envoy to the middle east and former prime minister of great britain, mr. tony blair. excellencies and delegations. my official meetings with ariel

sharon were difficult. he was not comfortable informal meetings surrounded by protocol. length fromd at notes, repeating and repeating israel's position. i understand what you're saying, i would say. ok, he would reply. and then pause. but just in case, i will say it again. himthen one time i invited to my home for dinner. no protocol. i wanted to know the man. and now i saw a completely different man. charmingted, humorous, -- warmhearted, humorous,

charming, and passionate. about his country, of course. but also about his wonderful family. and his farming. workedr the years, we together as prime ministers. he took actions no one thought he would take. --e ringing the roadmap bringing the roadmap. idea that he changed from the man-of-war to the man of that which is defined him. he never changed. his strategic objective never wavered. of state which from the age 14 he fought to bring into being had to be protected for the future generations.

when that meant fighting, he fought. when that meant making peace, he sought peace. and the same iron determination he took to the field of four -- -- to theok his chamber of diplomacy. bold, unorthodox, unyielding. however, never think, that he did not reflect deeply. as i got to know him better, i realized this man was a student of history as well as a maker of it. bore the anguish of the true decision-maker. he had the policy of leadership that was abundant -- quality of leadership that was abundant but he had the intelligence to be -- conscious of its

perils. once decided, he was unflinching. he carried all before him. move,s mode, he did not he charged. policies, herties, could leave considerable debris in his wake. but always his destination was clear. as was his motivation. he is ahis, standardbearer not only for israel, but for its leadership. he had the toughness of mind to despise all illusions about the threat facing israel. but he had the imagination to ifw the genuine peace,

attainable with honor and dignity both for arabs and israelis. ultimately for israel's security. he did not pursue peace as a dreamer. but he did dream of peace as an end to war. in this, he represented inething that i have noticed all the israeli leaders that i have encountered. those who have been prime minister, those aspiring to be prime minister. he had which is all common. the trappings of power. ande is something unusual

precious and politics. a true love of country. a supreme love for the state of israel, and the land of israel. for what it took to build it, and what it will take to sustain it. there was no higher calling than this for ariel sharon and no other calling. onlyy israel, he meant not the country and a people, but an idea. so oftenjewish people, victims of injustice and persecution, should have a state where they could be independent and free. one, equal to everyone. ont not -- judged not

prejudice but on merit. what they achieved and what they give up their own free will. -- give of their own free will. agree or disagree with him. calling, a noble one, was plain and on allied -- unalloy ed. from my experience, was ariel sharon. indomitable, yet a servant to his people. the warrior to create his country, yet wise enough to know that war alone could not secure its future. land. a giant of this born of the union of a great spirit and it big heart, let him

take his place in the history of israel. with pride. [speaking hebrew] hebrew]king honored to invite [inaudible] please. >> mr. shimon peres, president

of israel, the prime minister of israel. knesset, thef the whoon family, and those remember the former prime minister, ariel sharon. farewell wordsay to a man i never referred to in his first name. for me, he was always the prime minister, and like this he will stay forever, and even though he protested and was angry that i did not call him by his first name i never uttered that word. i did not know him personally. all i knew about him is what we person. about, a public

because of the image i thought it would be hard for me to work with him, but soon, i found out otherwise. a lot of us we were saying farewell to somebody who interested us greatly. those who knew him personally are saying farewell personally. his friends from the division are saying farewell to their executed, who always very courageous fights, and those who crossed the channel with him and remember a different kind of commander who satisfied who was not with giving commands, but arrived at the front with the rest of his soldiers. he had to verify that there was o mishaps, and he had to

[inaudible] the shoulder of a young officer because the fate of the entire nation was on his shoulders. his personal secretary for five years, saying farewell to a person i discovered, to my chair in thethis prime minister's office, i met a man who saw around him other whole, interested men treated his supported -- subordinates well. --rime minister, a man [inaudible] he had abilities to look at the eyes of his fellow man and see

what no other person could see. two months after he became prime minister, one of the workers of the office, he called me and asked me to talk to her because her eyes were sad and she probably had problems. he said and he was right. among those who were -- surrounded her, it was only he who was at the head of the pyramid who noticed her so well in the days of the heavy burden of work. he noticed this person who did not -- he did not know personally. he had two minutes to notice her sorrow. withso noticed when he met the families. in the five years that he served as prime minister, he always responded positively to meet families.ed

he prepared for those meetings like he prepared for meetings eachworld leaders, knowing problem and knowing each person of the family. penetrating look at the bereaved families. i know that there is no stop to your pain. after a few minutes, he would know that this pain that never goes away. and i knew that he spoke about them and also about himself. about his personal pain that never left him, pain about the death of his eldest son. whater quite understood really happened there, what was in the meeting of a prime

with the bereaved families. , thew that each time grandmothers entered with pain, with red eyes, and left his office with gratitude and a different look and what moved me the most and emphasized his thenness, and in his image, emory that he carried from -- memory that he carried from the battle in 1948, not the memory of his wound, but the memory of the holocaust survivor. until his last day in the prime minister officer, he talked about those survivors of the holocaust who were the last remnants of their families, while the native borns were

laying under the branches of the olive tree. in the israeli [inaudible] he noticed the tracks with the youngsters who were so different. fromsters who arrived different with clothing and with different names who had imprinted in them the numbers and all his life, he carried their memory who did not have a family to return to and that is when they fail in battle.-- fell in shiva for him -- [inaudible] he never forgot them.

his hand was the only hand that touched softly their black letters. midst, openedhis for me and his [inaudible] a look at the beautiful and forgotten israel, the one that he talked -- when he talked about it, his eye s glowed. the village he was born in and the battle from whom he returned with understanding that you do not leave the wounded. [inaudible] [indiscernible] who was killed in the action and others remained that only he could touch.

those soldiers in sinai who andhed him feel confidence who did not know that he drew his strength from them and his words, comforting and encouraging, and when he heard about the death of his friend, the life of the nation and the man to thisof his country, and who knew each death and the smell of the plant, of every plant, and the changing of the colors in the fields in the spring and fall. i would like to tell you a few personal [inaudible] and i will call you in your

first name. us a years ago -- you're -- your leaving us a years ago was so sudden we did not have a time to say goodbye. i did not have this time to wish in thepeedy recovery medical procedure and we could not tell you how much we loved you. -- and the prime minister office loved you. you always told us in a smile, it is not up bad place to be at. it is not that you are the head of the pyramid, but in the place that you felt so beloved. --anted you to know [indiscernible]

officepeople in your recruited -- worker did -- were recruited to help in the funeral arrangements. we came in the place of love and appreciation. each one of you is can treating that no one will be forgotten. everyone who wants to say goodbye will be able to come and say goodbye. conduct it,here to but we are trying to do our work faithfully. return to the place you love more than anything. your ranch. whenever you left it, you wanted to get updates like in the military battle, how many

herd, how much rain is falling. you would sit in the government, the prime minister that you always thought about, the land of your ranch. man of the land. that was your first love. this is where you will return, to your beloved wife among the green fields. i would like to thank you for to work beside you and to know you as a person in the most positive form. i love you very much, and i knkow that i will -- i know that i will always miss you. may you rest in peace. >> [indiscernible]

who fought with ariel sharon, who fought with him in the commandos 101 to deliver his eulogy. >> my friends, members of the honorarymily, your president, prime minister and honored guests who came to honor andmemory of ariel sharon give us all to strengthen the feeling of what we had and what we have lost.

friends, and honored guests, my commander, my teacher, and my have friend, i could spoken for an hour and it would not have been sufficient to say what i had to say. for eight years, we were that he to the belief would return to us. his friends, his soldiers from oft 101 and the paratroopers the [indiscernible] who were part of the unbelievable group that he formed and what he made in the 1950 -- 1953. we knew that anything and

everything could happen with him. and this is the main strength. from his -- stemmed from his love of the country. country -- what the country gave him because it was a mutual relationship. he took us, a group of youngsters, about 19 years old or so. and succeeded in giving us the feeling that all of the security of the people of israel and the nation of israel is laid on our young shoulders. , and he did greatly it quietly, and without great speeches. greatly, and us gave us the feeling and taught

and braveryadiness and faith, we can achieve everything. vision. man with a was he was a major, he actually already a general. he was a giant. leadership, he was so infessional and so wise and his daily life and also in battle. personally.mething in my evacuation inn i was gravely wounded 1955. he did not stay still until he

me,fied that they evacuated and i'll have my life -- i owe him my life. if not for what he did then, i would not be in front of you today. a great privilege. us to be hiswith soldiers and to be his partners to the mission that he took upon revolutionize the idf from an army that lost his motivation and its readiness -- it's motivation and its ofdiness and through a group 35 fighters to do it. iserase the word it impossible from our lexicon and to enter in its place, we do not come back without winning.

this is how it was and this is what we did. with your permission, i will read a few lines from a personal letter he wrote to me. startediod that we determined a new warring concept. the memories of our youth, the dreams, the pain, and the fears that we shared with all of our friends with the beginning of the 101 unit, the company throughout our lives. the encouragement, the willingness to sacrifice, and above all, the wonderful friendship among the people. those that created the common

destiny that accompanies us until today. he was also a friend from the beginning. as though he was a major, the friendship that was formed more thely was much symbol from the units that we came from. that gathered us. and in this friendship, and in succeeded tot, he do what he did. between us was such that i would come to his in the i would meet him ranch, and we also had something in common because we were both farmers. but one time, i wanted to tell

you, i received a phone call on the eve of the holiday. it is the eve of the holiday, you would not believe for i am. i am the -- on the beach. a few minutes ago i left a meeting with king abdulla. did whenred what you -- when you did it. such surprises he would make from time to time, not only to me. this is what he was like. , and anyonehumor who knew him knew his humor. accompanied us then 60 years ago when we were young, and we were full of energy to

and whatnd implement, he designated for us and what we believed we had to do. a small story. about 10 years ago, we had a of the of the 50 years unit 101. came, of course, i was one of the organizers. i said, in 10 years we will have another reading and -- reunion. had aur months ago we reunion for the establishment of this unit. said he will do i will do but i think you're not to forget to invite me and not to do it on a day that there is a government meeting, and

indeed, when we did the 60th reunion, he was not with us. physically. but actually, his image and throughoutamong us the whole event. and last thing i would like to emphasize was mentioned here. his love for [indiscernible] heart.a farmer in his and so in agriculture, a special value. i experienced it especially when i was [indiscernible] establishing a herd of cattle in his ranch. havehe told me, if we agriculture here, we have our nation and land here. if we have land here and

agriculture, we have land here. face and his life will be the pillars of the state of israel. on behalf of my friends, i salute you. >> the last eulogy [indiscernible] please. >> to teach the children of judah, this is how david

eulogized king solomon. fight, ande how to later, how to settle. one hand did your work and the the prophetad like about the construction of jerusalem. people talked about you. your days and the days of battles. i did with you in the days of settlement. you are the practical leader of that settlement. and also the father of this settlement movement. in the construction and the settlement like in the army, you went to the smallest [indiscernible]

in your humor and special charm. us not toow to tell let our hands down. butcompleted your mission, you knew how to give us the execution -- in the execution. you said that you knew better than me how to do it. you had the ability to cultivate in people their leadership qualities. in the how you acted settlement movement. in every meeting, there were many memories of your youth came up during the war of independence and your childhood. the memories of childhood came about in every step of your visionwhen you made a

of a new project. for you, everything had to be done big. because what we talked about was a project forever. spoke to yousrael in a poem. the jewish identity, the bringing of the jews to israel and concern about conversion of those who needed to be converted. [indiscernible] greatly in the rights and abilities of the jewish people. said, these people will always succeed. i love you very much. and it was a great privilege for as theork in your midst

hero of israel. this love developed into friendship that developed between our families. on this background awas difficut and painful. the disengagement that you brought about. and everything would be covered in yourat love, and now last voyage, we will ensure you , we will make every effort to overcome all the difficulties created -- difficulties. we will not stop.