News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
It is worth appreciation the way and manner in which the former Israel Prime Minister, the late Aerial Sharon, was given the highest honour of military sending off before his burial
Given Sharon deserved the heroic burial taking into account his both political and military history in the Jewish state since its formation in 1948.
But the most recent was his military role in the Yom Koppur war of October 1973.
The Egyptians 3rd army had launched a surprise attack against the the Israeli security network in the Sinai dessert and crossed through the them seemingly impregnable Barlev Line, the Israeli defensive line in the Mt Sinai desert. The Egyptians took advantage of the Yom Koppur holidays when most Israeli soldiers guarding their country’s defensive line were less attentive.
Gen. Sharon, while commanding the Israeli tank brigade, launched an elaborate counter attack offensive and encircled the Arabs armies, besieged them and managed to cross the Suez Canal
Thousands in the Egyptians army which had broken the Barlev line were surprised and besieged when they were cornered in the dessert and forced to retreat in disarray leaving behind tanks and other important military armaments. The Egyptian soldiers had even taken off their military boots and abandoned them in the desert together with guns .This was after two days of tank-to-tank battle in the desert. The Egyptian abandoned ultra modern Russian made tanks, some of them intact, while others were disabled.
At the time when the ceasefire which was brokered by the UN Security Council the US and the international community come into effect. Gen. Sharon and his tank brigade had already crossed the Suez Canal water way and were only 45 kilometer from Cairo. the Egyptian soldiers abandoned their army uniform and boots as well as guns in the dessert while fleeing from Gen. Sharon and his men.
Records show that Gen. Sharon took active part in the 1948 war which resulted in the creation of the State of Israel. This was a hit and run guerrillas like war. In the six day middle East war of 1967 against the huge Arab armies comprising combined forces of Egypt, Jordan and Syria had received a thorough beating by him. Gen. Sharon was in the tank brigade that smashed Syria defensive line in the Golan Heights. He therefore deserved all sorts of public and military honour for his heroic background.
In the battle of Sinai desert, Gen Sharon was wounded in the forehead, and newspaper reports flushed his heavily bandaged fore head to the world.
In the 1948 war of independence. He was among the disciples of the one eyed Gen. Moshe Dayan.
thousands of Israeli citizens had staged a noisy demonstrations in Jel Aviv streets ,while shouting their support for Gen. Moshe Dayan. Kaczet (parliament) had forced the then prime minister Ben gurion to appoint Dayan to a term as the Defence Minister.
Gen. Sharon was later to serve both as foreign minister and PM respectively
As young Kenyan journalists under going social studies sponsored by the Kenya Federation of Labor under the late Tom Mboya IN 1962, We studied at the Kibutzi managed by the Stardust & The Israel Federation of Workers. I had the good luck of shaking haunts with Gen. Sharon at the five star King David Hotel in Tel Aviv in 1963 and also on two occasions shared a handshake which another former PM and foreign Minister Mr. Golda Meir and Abba Eban, the linguists Foreign Minister of Israel and other old politicians of those days..
However, I was so disappointed to read the comment by one of the Palestine politician who depicted Gen. Sharon a criminal man who died without having faced punishment for his crimes against human beings for his role in the massacre of Palestinian refugee in Lebanon
By all standard, Gen Sharon died as a hero who had served his country diligently, selflessly with zeal and dedication
I must take this opportunity to sincerely thank the government of Israel for having accorded Gen.Sharon the most colorful and fitting heroic burial
LEO ODERA OMOLO