The FPA Israel blog person of the year was abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. You can vote on the Ha’aretz Web site for your top choices on the person of the decade. Selections include:
For person of the decade, I will not go with Shalit. Instead, from the Ha’aretz list, I would probably pick former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The right-winger did the unthinkable. He withdrew the Israeli presence from the Gaza Strip. This created a defacto Palestinian (and soon to be Hamas) state in the territory (albeit, it lacks sufficient infrastructure and control over its borders). This Hamas-controlled area launched incessant attacks on southern Israel and abducted Shalit, leading to Operation Cast Lead that heightened tensions between Israel and the rest of the world.
Further, Sharon established the Kadima party as a center-right alternative to Likud. The new party controlled the Prime Minister’s Office for nearly the entire decade and continues to play a key role in opposition to the current Netanyahu-led government. The party may crumble, but it still garnered the most votes in the last election even though new party chair Tzipi Livini could not forge a coalition government.
Further, Sharon also signed Israel onto the Road Map that has been the foundation for the peace process this decade and will likely continue to play an important role in negotiations.
Sharon has certainly been controversial his entire career, including in his role as Defense Minister during the first Lebanon War that lead to his resignation over the Sabra and Shatila massacres. Regardless, Sharon was certainly influential and set the stage for the Gaza Strip, domestic political realignment, and the overall peace process.
There’s a (slightly tasteless) joke in Israel about Sharon, who has been in a coma for approximately 5 years. It goes something like this:
Sharon wakes up from his coma and a nurse sees him. Happily, she asks him what he needs. Sharon says that he will need to speak with his deputy, Ehud Olmert. Sadly, the nurse says Olmert faces corruption charges and resigned in disgrace. So, Sharon asks for President Moshe Katzav. The nurse informs Sharon that Katzav also resigned, due to allegations of rape. Sharon grumbles and asks to see IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz. The nurse reluctantly tells Sharon that Halutz also resigned following the Second Lebanon War that was largely viewed as a failure. Sharon sighs, and asks to speak with one of his party allies, perhaps Avraham Hirschson. The nurse tells Sharon that Hirschson assumed the role of Minister of Finance before leaving in disgrace, also due to corruption allegations. Finally, Sharon sighs and says, “I’m going back to sleep.”
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