'Sharon never wanted to be buried on Mount Herzl'

Ariel Sharon never wanted to be buried on Mount Herzl, his former adviser Asi Shariv tells reporters gathered at Sharon’s ranch ahead of his funeral.

“He never liked the ceremonies on Mount Herzl. He always said to us, you won’t have to go to Mount Herzl for me. I’ll be buried here,” he says, looking around him.

Police and press seen during preparations for the funeral of former prime minister Ariel Sraron outside Sharon’s Sycamore Ranch in the Negev, Monday, January 13, 2014 (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)

“This is the place he wanted to be,” buried at his ranch alongside his wife Lily.

Shariv adds that he is “not surprised” at the outpouring of public affection for the former premier. “In January 2006,” when he sustained a stroke that left him comatose until his death on Saturday, “he was the most popular Israeli prime minister ever.”

‘Sharon never wanted to be buried on Mount Herzl’

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