Ariel Sharon in Hospital

Just heard that on the radio.

I'm a bit worried about what might happen as a result.

Yeah.

Thanks for the notification, oralloy, your post was the first I knew of it.

Hopefully he will make it through this.

Hmmmm...second in a few days.

Not looking good.


Powers transferred to Deputy....

At minimum, sounds like he will be unable to be PM for some time...I would say his leadership is over.



Oh boy...who are the contenders?

He was starting an entire new party, that seemed to have the power to eclipse the others.

This (in the view of some--me, notably) is quite a daunting setback for progress in peace in Israel.

I am sad.

I have no idea who is like-minded, who could succeed him, if the need arises.

To the best of my understanding, current Israeli law doesn't really adequately provide for such circumstances as the incapacitation or death of the sitting PM - there is a provision within The Basic Law, under Government, which establishes that the Deputy PM shall fill in given the event of the sitting PM's temporary incapacitation, but the law leaves open who determines, or by what means determination is to be made, that the PM is unable to discharge his duties. There is no provision or proceedure for formal handover of power and responsibility. Deputy PM Olmert was advised by Sharon's doctors some hours after Sharon first underwent treatment for his just previous stroke that the PM would be unable to serve, and Olmert simply assumed the position without any formal authorization. The public wasn't even aware of the handoff for some days, and no official announcement was made for over a week following the event.

Meanwhile, at present, it appears from the news wires and from the streaming feed of Israel's Channel 2 News (note - may be choppy or even inaccesible, current very heavy traffic) that the deathwatch may have begun.

Olmert has called on the Cabinet to convene in full at 9:00 AM. Sharon's doctors say " ... the operation is going well", but that " ... chances of recovery may not be high". One doctor, not a member of the surgical team working on Sharon, when asked directly about Sharon's prospects, responded "Let's be optimistic, some people survive it." An un-named "Close Associate" of Sharon is quoted as saying "Hope for a miracle". Though a hospital in Beersheeba was much nearer to Sharon's ranch when he was stricken, the decision was made by his personal physician, who was present, to transport him to the larger, more lavishly staffed and equipped Jerusalem hospital where he now is in surgery. Reportedly, his condition deteriorated during the transport, and was life-threateningly critical upon his arrival at the hospital.

Sharon's family is with him, and a service is being held at the West Wall, with attendance growing.

As Sharon's Kadima party essentially is without him nothing, and enjoys a huge lead in opinion polling leading up to the scheduled March 28 election, the political picture is far from clear. The Likud party might make a bid to set aside the election as an emergency measure, but Likud's frontman, Netanyahu, has said only that he prays for Sharon's health.

Thanks, Timber.

You're welcome. I was actually afraid I'd be posting something that everyone already knew.





Netanyahu on the right, and Amir Peretz on the left.

Update; Sharon is out of surgery, which went "... very much as expected", in a "Medically induced coma", is on a respirator, and not much else.

Ehud Ohlmert or some such last name in Sharon's fledgling party.

What does it mean...peace? <Kadima>

Netanyahu might start drifting back towards the center now.

I am unclear on Peretz's precise position on how to achieve peace with the Palestinians, other than the fact that he wants to achieve peace because he thinks the conflict is diverting resources away from social issues he wishes he could address.

I appreciate your information, oralloy.

I can't see Bennie going left--even to center--he's such a hardliner--but, then again, who'd have ever believed Sharon would...?

He only went to the extreme right when Sharon was prime minister, and that was so he could politically differentiate himself from Sharon.

I think Netanyahu will go back to where he was when he was prime minister in the '90s. As far as I remember, that was center right.

Well, hmm. We have divergent memories.

But, one thing I do remember is I have a bad memory.

Timber? Somebody? Was Bennie Netanyahu more centrist in the 90's?

I'd sorta agree w/oralloy - Netanyahu's tenure as PM struck me as just slightly right of center overall - though with a bit of mollifying directed toward the social welfare crowd ... more along the lines of just to keep 'em from getting really unruly.


Update, Sharon's doctors say he is "paralyzed in at least half his body", "may not regain speech" ... offer no prognosis beyond "we must watch developments as they occur"

Thanks for your opinion--and the update.

A thought I just had: Maybe Shimon Peres could head the new Kadima Party.

What's he been doing? I haven't been following news from Israel in depth. Is he in Kadima?

He left the Labor Party, but he didn't formally join Kadima.

But he is fully supporting Kadima, and was expected to have a cabinet position in any new Sharon/Kadima government.