‘Bulldozer’ Ariel Sharon’s tractor put up for auction

Former prime minister Ariel Sharon’s tractor went up for sale on eBay, with a starting bid of $20,000, Channel 2 reported on Monday.

The tractor, once playfully described by the ex-premier as a “dear friend,” was sold by Sharon in 1974.

It later changed hands and in the 1990s was bought by Nir Sadan, a farmer from northern Israel.

Sadan told the TV station the “unique” tractor “reminded him of Arik [Sharon]: big, fat, strong.”

Sadan said he hoped the proceeds would allow him to retire, and was planning to sell off his farm in Gan Ner.

Sharon, Israel’s eleventh prime minister and a dedicated rancher who was nicknamed The Bulldozer for his relentless capacity to advance projects, died in January 2014 at the age of 85. A prominent hard-line voice over the decades, he was elected prime minister in 2001.

Ariel Sharon tending to the livestock on his Sycamore Ranch in 1993. (photo credit: Gideon Markowicz/Flash90)

In mid-2005, he directed a unilateral withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip, ending Israel’s 38-year military control of the territory. It was a shocking turnaround for a man who had been a leading player in building Jewish settlements in captured territories.

He bolted the Likud party soon after and established the centrist Kadima party, where he was joined by Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni. He appeared on his way to an easy reelection when he suffered a severe stroke in January 2006. His deputy, Olmert, took over and was elected prime minister a few months later.