Sharon illness puts Mideast peace at risk

THE future of the Middle East hung in the balance last night as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fought for life after emergency brain surgery for his massive stroke.

The 77-year-old was unlikely to return to frontline politics after the operation left him in a serious condition in intensive care and with doctors warning it was too early to say what the long-term damage would be.

Despite the illness, Israel’s March 28 elections will be held as scheduled, Attorney General Meni Mazuz said after the cabinet meeting.

Mr Sharon had been expected to easily win re-election at the head of the moderate Kadima Party he created to free his hands for further peace moves with the Palestinians.

Many Israelis see Mr Sharon - a longtime hawk who changed tack and withdrew from the Gaza Strip last year - as the best hope for achieving a peace deal with the Palestinians.

His illness would create a power vacuum in the government and cloud Kadima’s prospects.

Vice Premier Ehud Olmert was named acting prime minister and convened the cabinet for a special session.

Dr Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director general of Hadassah Hospital, said Mr Sharon would remain in deep sedation and on a respirator for at least two, and possibly three, days.

Mr Sharon’s sudden illness, at the height of his popularity, stunned Israelis. Rabbis called on Israelis to flock to synagogues and say special prayers.

The daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot ran a headline that read: “The last battle.”

Despite his pull-out from Gaza last year, Mr Sharon is still widely reviled in the Arab world for his tough actions against Palestinians.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called Mr Olmert to express his concern and told him that Palestinians hope Mr Sharon will recover quickly. Mr Abbas’s office confirmed the conversation and said it was “friendly”.

Mr Olmert told Mr Abbas that Mr Sharon had expressed his “great interest” in strengthening the relations between Israeli and Palestinians and advancing the peace process.

Mr Abbas said earlier that Mr Sharon’s health crisis would not put off the Palestinian elections.

Mr Sharon’s sons, Omri and Gilad, were at their father’s bedside. A family friend said of them: “You don’t see tears. You see hope, quiet and fortitude.”