Sharon to remain sedated
2006-01-05 17:45
Jerusalem - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fought for his life on Thursday after seven hours of emergency surgery to stop widespread bleeding in his brain.
The massive stroke made it unlikely that he would return to power, and plunged the region into uncertainty.
Sharon's sudden turn for the worse, at the height of his popularity, stunned Israelis, who had relied on the tough ex-general to steer them through turbulent times.
Rabbis called Israelis to flock to synagogues and said special prayers for the 77-year-old Sharon. "The last battle", read the headline in the Yediot Ahronot daily.
Dramatic events
Palestinians followed reports on Sharon's condition with a mix of apprehension and glee, and some officials said they feared the dramatic events would derail on January 25 parliament elections in the West Bank and Gaza.
Despite his pullout from Gaza last year, Sharon was still widely reviled in the Arab world for his tough actions against Palestinians.
Officials at Hadassah Hospital said Sharon would remain in deep sedation in the intensive care unit for at least 24 more hours, following seven hours of emergency surgery to stop massive, widespread bleeding in the brain.
Hospital director Shlomo Mor-Yosef said: "The situation is still serious, but it's stable."
Parly has special session
Vice-premier Ehud Olmert was named acting prime minister and given a beefed-up security detail.
He met with key members of Sharon's staff early on Thursday and convened the cabinet for a special session at 09:00.
Close Sharon associates said they didn't expect the prime minister to return to office.
Olmert said: "This is a difficult situation that we are not accustomed to." Sharon's chair at the centre of the long oval table remained empty.
Sharon's stroke threw Israeli politics and diplomacy throughout the region into turmoil in the midst of election campaigns for both the Palestinians and Israel.
The premier had been expected to easily win re-election in March at the head of the moderate Kadima Party he created to free his hands for further peace moves with the Palestinians.
Peace deal
Many Israelis saw Sharon - a war hero and long time hawk who changed tack and withdrew from Gaza - as the best hope for achieving a peace deal with the Palestinians.
His illness would create a power vacuum in the government and cloud the electoral prospects of his party, which was built around Sharon.
Israel's stock market plunged as much as 6.2 percent on news of Sharon's stroke. According to Palestinian officials, two United States envoys scheduled to travel to the region on Thursday called off their trip.
Japan's foreign ministry said Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi postponed his visit, scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Sharon was at his ranch in southern Israel on Wednesday evening, resting ahead of a medical procedure scheduled for Thursday to close a small hole in his heart, when he fell ill.
- AP