Ariel Sharon May Be Israel's Next Premier

J E R U S A L E M, Feb. 2 -- The commercials for the man who may be Israel's next leader show him the way he wants to be seen.

Ariel Sharon is portrayed as a doting grandfather and elder statesman, trailed by smiling children, walking in the fields to syrupy music.

In the days before Tuesday's Israeli election, Sharon has a seemingly unbeatable 20-percentage-point lead over incumbent Ehud Barak in opinion polls — and the advertisements for Sharon are still running.

In contrast, Sharon's place in the Israeli leadership has been solidified over the years by his military past — both his glorious victories and shameful debacles. That experience has also made him one of the most controversial figures in the country.

He was deeply involved in all of Israel's five wars, beginning in 1948. His most heralded hour came in the 1973 Mideast war, when he commanded 27,000 Israelis across the Suez Canal into Egypt, helping to turn the tide of the war in his nation's favor.

But that's not the Ariel Sharon the country is embracing.

"More than 50 percent of Israelis don't remember General Sharon, Minister of Defense Sharon from Lebanon. The 72, 73-year-old Sharon looks harmless," said Akiva Eldar of Israel's daily Ha'aretz newspaper.

A History of Offense

It was Sharon's visit to Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem last Sept. 28 that many say provoked the latest Palestinian uprising, which has left more than 300 Palestinians and 60 Israelis dead. Sharon has always denied causing the violence.

Two decades ago, he also came up with the idea to build tens of thousands of homes for Jews on land Palestinians claim.

In a country where a majority has recently favored peace over security from the Palestinians, Sharon has always been a hawk.

In parliament, he has never voted in favor of any of Israel's peace agreements with its Arab neighbors.

Before he became a candidate for prime minister, he boasted that he had never shaken hands with Yasser Arafat, and in an interview with The New Yorker magazine, called the Palestinian leader "a liar and a murderer."