Jan 12, 2014

One day after former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died at age 85, his body lay in state outside the parliament in Jerusalem. Thousands of Israelis reportedly showed up to pay their last respects to the statesmen, who will be buried Monday.

: Members of the Knesset guard stand around the flag-draped coffin of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon as he lies in state at Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem, January 12, 2014. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

: An Israeli woman stands in line as she waits to pay her last respects to Ariel Sharon outside the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), where his body is lying in state on January 12, 2014 in Jerusalem. Sharon, the former prime minister of Israel died Saturday after suffering from multiple organ failure. (Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

: Israeli children look at former prime minister Ariel Sharon’s name written with candles in his memory, as Israelis pay their last respects next to Sharon’s coffin at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2014. (Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images)

: Israeli security forces walk past a newspaper with a picture of late former prime minister Ariel Sharon on the front page, on January 12, 2014, in Jerusalem. Israeli media lavished praise on Sharon, who died the previous day in hospital after eight years in a coma. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images)

: An Israeli woman holds a candle in memory of former prime minister Ariel Sharon as Israelis pay their last respects next to his coffin in Jerusalem on January 12, 2014. (Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images)

: Israeli honor guards carry the coffin of former prime minister Ariel Sharon in to the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) in Jerusalem at the end of the day on January 12, 2014, as Israelis came to pay their respects. Celebrated as a military hero by some, recognized as a pragmatic politician by others and despised as a bloodthirsty criminal by his foes, Sharon was a polarizing figure at home and abroad. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)

: People gather as former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lies in state at Knesset Plaza on January 12, 2014 in Jerusalem. (Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

: Israeli army generals pay their last respects as they march past the coffin of the late former prime minister Ariel Sharon, displayed at the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) in Jerusalem on January 12, 2014. (Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images)

: Israeli mourners pray as they pay their last respects next to former prime minister Ariel Sharon’s coffin at the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) in Jerusalem on January 12, 2014. (Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images)

: An Israeli honor guard stands next to the coffin of former prime minister Ariel Sharon at the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) in Jerusalem on January 12, 2014. Israelis are paying their respects to Ariel Sharon, whose controversial life inspired admiration and provoked revulsion, and whose death drew emotional reactions even after he spent eight years in a coma. (Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images)

: Israeli soldiers from a paratrooper unit once commanded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rehearse to serve as the honor guard at his funeral on Monday in southern Israel, January 12, 2014. Sharon died on Saturday at age 85, after eight years in a coma caused by a stroke. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

: Israeli soldiers from a paratrooper unit once commanded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rehearse to serve as the honor guard at his funeral in southern Israel, January 12, 2014.. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Maryland political, Jewish leaders reflect on Ariel Sharon
By Julie Scharper, The Baltimore Sun
January 11, 2014

Maryland political and Jewish leaders reflected Saturday on the death of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and said they found hope in the vision for peace in the Middle East that he outlined shortly before suffering a stroke in 2006.

Sen. Ben Cardin extended his sympathies to Sharon’s relatives, who have cared for the leader since he was incapacitated by a stroke.

“For eight years, they have stood vigil as a great general fought the greatest battle of his life,” Cardin said in a statement. “His legacy shall always be an unwavering dedication to the security of the Jewish State of Israel and his willingness to move the peace process forward. May he now find the shalom he always sought for in the land of our ancestors.”

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said Sharon “dedicated his life to building the State of Israel and serving the people of Israel.”

Ariel Sharon, former Israeli Prime Minister, lies in state

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