RALPH WENGE, CNN ANCHOR: Israel is rejecting a renewed request for cooperation of the United Nations to investigate the latest wave of unrest in Gaza and the West Bank. This week has witnessed a heap in the continuing violence between Israelis and Palestinians. On Wednesday, a Palestinian driver rammed his bus into a crowded stop, killing 7 soldiers and a civilian. It was the deadliest attack in the region in nearly four years. Now, it happened just a week after Ariel Sharon handily defeated Ehud Barak in the race for prime minister. More on the controversial Mr. Sharon, here is Israel's IBA.</s>STEVE EDWARDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ariel Sharon was born in 1928, and grew up in the village of Formallel (ph). At the age of 17, he joined the pre-state Haggana (ph) militia. In 1953, Sharon set up a special unit known as 101, a unit designed to counter terrorists incursions from the Gaza Strip in Jordan. In the 1956 campaign, Sharon found himself at the center of controversy, after leading an authorized attack on the Mitla Pas (ph). In the 6-Day War, he commanded an armored division which crushed the Egyptian forces in the Sinai. In June 1972, Sharon resigned from the army to enter political life. With the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, was recalled to active service. In a daring but disputed move, Sharon spearheaded the counterattack across the Suez Canal, taking Israeli troops into Africa. He returned home once again a controversial hero. Sharon's political career took off with the rise
Does Sharon Have the Answers for Peace?