Body of former Israeli prime minister and general Arial Sharon to lie in state in Jerusalem
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Sunday May 16, 2004 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pauses during a news conference in his Jerusalem office regarding education reform. Sharon, the hard-charging Israeli general and prime minister who was admired and hated for his battlefield exploits and ambitions to reshape the Middle East, died Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. The 85-year-old Sharon had been in a coma since a debilitating stroke eight years ago. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File) (The Associated Press)
The body of Ariel Sharon, Israel's hard-charging former prime minister and general will be brought to Israel's parliament in Jerusalem where it will lie in state.
The Prime Minister's office said in a statement early Sunday that the coffin will be brought to the Knesset later in the day. "The public will be able to pay its respects until 18:00 (1600 GMT)," it said.
A state memorial is planned for Monday with the participation of Israeli and world leaders, it said. Afterward Sharon's body will be taken by military convey for burial at his ranch.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sharon died Saturday aged 85. One of Israel's most iconic and controversial figures, he had been in a coma for eight years after a devastating stroke incapacitated him at the peak of his political power.