Jerusalem: As Israelis and the West today paid glowing tributes to late Israeli leader Ariel Sharon, the Arab world was less laudatory, slamming him as a "tyrant" and "criminal".
Former Prime Minister Sharon died today at the age of 85 after being in a coma for the past eight years following a massive stroke in 2006 when he was at the height of his power.
"Arik was a brave soldier and a daring leader who loved his nation and his nation loved him. He was one of Israel`s great protectors and most important architects, who knew no fear and certainly never feared vision," Israeli President Shimon Peres said in his eulogy.
"He knew how to take difficult decisions and implement them. We all loved him and he will be greatly missed."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was often at loggerheads with Sharon because of political differences, expressed his "deep sorrow"?and called him "a great warrior and military leader".
Sharon`s memory "will live forever in the nation`s heart," Netanyahu said.
Leaders from western countries hailed Sharon, with British Prime Minister David Cameron saying, "Ariel Sharon is one of the most significant figures in Israeli history and as Prime Minister he took brave and controversial decisions in pursuit of peace, before he was so tragically incapacitated."
US President Barack Obama, in a statement, said, "On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the family of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and to the people of Israel."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to Sharon and said she "is mourning with the Israeli people".
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Sharon`s "personal qualities and his activities to protect Israel`s interests, noting a high respect for him among compatriots and his high authority in the international arena," the Kremlin said.
"Today, a strong leader has gone and my thoughts also go to his family," Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said.
There was no response from the Palestinian Authority (PA) but a senior leader of President Mahmoud Abbas` Fatah party and a Hamas spokesman in Gaza reacted to the death.
"We have become more confident in victory with the departure of this tyrant," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the militant Hamas that rules over the Gaza Strip.
"Our people today feel extreme happiness at the death and departure of this criminal whose hands were smeared with the blood of our people and the blood of our leaders here and in exile," Zuhri added.
"Sharon was a criminal, responsible for the assassination of (Palestinian president Yasser) Arafat, and we would have hoped to see him appear before the International Criminal Court as a war criminal," Jibril Rajoub, a senior official of?the Fatah party, said.
