Ariel Sharon in Hospital

Update: Sharon aides have left hospital, would not talk to reporters, were described as " ... reserved and grim-faced". A press conference has been announced, to take place about an hour from now, "pending developments".


Personal observation; sure not much there to inspire confidence in Sharon's prospects.

Sharon fighting for his life By Dan Williams
1 hour, 7 minutes ago

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a dominant figure for decades in shaping the Middle East, was fighting for his life on Thursday after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage.

"It looks very bad. I don't know if he will recover," said a senior political source after Sharon, 77, was rushed in an ambulance from his ranch in southern Israel to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem late on Wednesday.

Sharon's death or incapacitation would cause political upheaval in Israel ahead of a March 28 general election he had been expected to win on a platform of ending conflict with the Palestinians. He has been prime minister since 2001.

Hopes of any peace talks would be given another setback at a time of growing violence and increasing Palestinian turmoil.

"He has significant, massive cerebral bleeding ... the aim of the operation is to drain it," Hadassah hospital director Shmuel Shapira said.

Sharon was still in surgery after over five hours. His spokesman, Raanan Gissin, described his condition as stable.

But Haaretz newspaper said on its Web site that Sharon was paralyzed in half of his body, and medical experts agreed the prime minister was unlikely to pull through the operation without his faculties being at least seriously impaired.

"With all due caution, it appears as though the era of Sharon leading Israel has reached its tragic end," wrote Aluf Ben, Haaretz's diplomatic correspondent.

Sharon's prime ministerial powers were transferred temporarily to his deputy, Ehud Olmert, who was to hold an emergency cabinet meeting later. Recent polls have not shown Olmert to be seen as a long-term successor.

BUSH PRAYING

U.S. President George W. Bush, a close ally of Sharon, said "we are praying for his recovery."

"Prime Minister Sharon is a man of courage and peace. On behalf of all Americans, we send our best wishes and hopes to the prime minister and his family," Bush added.

Sharon, who raised optimism for Middle East peace by pulling settlers and soldiers out of the Gaza Strip last September to end 38 years of military rule, suffered what doctors described as a mild stroke on December 18.

He had been due to undergo an operation on Thursday at Hadassah to repair a tiny hole in his heart thought to have contributed to his stroke last month.

The hefty ex-general popularly known as "The Bulldozer" spent several days in hospital but plowed back into a punishing public schedule in recent weeks.

Opinion polls have shown Sharon was on course to win the March election as leader of the new centrist Kadima faction he founded after quitting the right-wing Likud party in the face of a party rebellion over the Gaza pullout.

He has campaigned on a platform of readiness to give up more occupied land in the West Bank as a way to end decades of conflict, but has vowed to keep Israel's hold on major settlement blocs.

BOLD STEPS

A large part of Sharon's popularity among Israelis stems from a belief that he could take bold steps that others would not get away with given his background as the archetypal hawk.

Palestinians have long suspected that Sharon's plans for ending conflict meant that he would dictate terms that would leave them only fragments of the state they seek.

Deputy Palestinian Prime Minister Nabil Shaath said he did not believe Sharon ever had any faith in the peace process, but his condition would increase uncertainty over getting back to negotiations.

Battered by Sharon's harsh measures to fight a five-year-old uprising, militant factions reacted with glee.

"The whole region will be better off with him absent," said powerful Islamic group Hamas. "Sharon was the one who carried out massacres and terrorism for decades against our people."

In Washington, White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley briefed Bush on Sharon's condition.

Bush has relied heavily on Sharon as he attempts to coax Israelis and Palestinians into a peace agreement. He scolded Sharon after the prime minister's stroke in December to watch what he eats and get more exercise.

Sharon's health crisis was likely to further slow Bush's quest for two states, Palestine and Israel, living in peace.

Hopes for progress were already dwindling given the possibility of a delay to a January 25 Palestinian election and growing internal unrest in the Gaza Strip and West Bank as well as an increase in violence with Israel.

"I don't think we're going to have any efforts for a while," said Edward Walker, president of the Middle East Institute and a former U.S. ambassador to Israel.

"I don't see how you can marry up the Palestinians with the Israelis when both are undergoing leadership crises."

Sharon's old foe Yasser Arafat, an iconic leader for the Palestinians, died in November 2004 when a brain hemorrhage ended weeks of illness.

(Additional reporting by Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Jeffrey Heller, Corinne Heller, Ori Lewis in Jerusalem, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, Steve Holland in Washington)
_________________________
Not as recent as Timber's. Just a narrative for anyone who wants to read it.

That's very hopeful, considering. Thanks.

This ain't encouraging at all:

It was mentioned Tuesday that Peres was expected to be appointed Foreign Miniister in the new cabinet November election-winner Sharon was forming following Sunday's announcement of the impending resignation of the 4 remaining Likud cabinet ministers (7 others switched to Kadim and were slated to remain); Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Education Minister Limor Livnat, Health Minister Danny Naveh and Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz were to formally submit their resignations at the next weekly cabinet meeting, which of course now has been postponed.

If nothing else, Peres must be considered a strong frontrunner as Sharon's replacement at the head of Kadim, even with Olmert at present functionally at the head of the government.


Update: The press conference just concluded; little news, it was more a statement than a press conference, no questions taken or answered, there have been "complications", the "operation will continue" (it now is entering its 8th hour), apparently with periods of surgery interspersed with periods of drug treatment and observation. It was announced the intercranial bleeding has not been stopped.

yikes..... 8 hours of bleeding?

From the New York Times:

Hemorrhages in the brain while the patient is taking blood thinners "are usually devastating events," said Dr. Matthew E. Fink, chief of the Division of Stroke and Critical Care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "This sounds really terrible."

Statistically, the likelihood of death is greater than 80 percent, Dr. Fink said.

http://nytimes.com/2006/01/05/international/05medical.html

Haaretz

Reuters is now reporting doctors have stopped the bleeding in Sharon's brain, that his vital signs are "stable", and that he has been transferred from surgery to the neurological critical care unit. His condition was described by a hospital spokesman as "extremely critical". Israeli news commentators in the past quarter hour or so have been using the word "grave" to describe Sharon's condition. There has been no talk I've noticed of "recovery".

The latest from Haaretz:

I can't help but wonder how much effect the loss of Sharon as head of state will effect the course of the peace process. He at this point was it's strength

Pat Robertson has once again grabbed headlines and drawn criticism for his political comments - this time suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land."

Oh, for Pete's sake. Just when you think Pat Robertson can't disgrace himself any further, he opens his mouth again. He had prostate cancer surgery a couple of years ago and his brother died of lung cancer last year. Wonder what he thinks that was punishment for? Geesh.

Eyep.

I agree.

Acting PM Olmert convened a special meeting today. Not many details, but here's the report:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3195511,00.html

all life is sacred (with exceptions)

Dunno so much as there's exceptions as there are differing qualitative analyses - sorta like a cost-benefit thing going on there.

It figures

I am continually amazed at what an incredible, useless jackass Robertson is.

I have to say I utterly despise people who try to blame people for death and illness, as if any of us will avoid death--though I bet that ass Robertson thinks he will.

I'd like to slap his fat stupid face.

maybe it's his choice of hobbies?



http://www.patrobertson.com/FastFacts/FavoriteThings.asp



financial transactions = deposits from 700 Club faithful ?