Israel after Sharon, the latest uncertainty tormenting Middle East

THE list of uncertainties bedeviling the Middle East has grown longer and deeper: Palestinian factions fighting each other in the streets, the relentless insurgency in Iraq, the rising political clout of Islamist militants in Egypt, political uncertainty in Syria and Lebanon.

Now there's another: the direction Israel will take with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon unlikely to return to power.

"This makes a complicated picture even harder to sort out," said Ehsan Ahrari, a political analyst based in Alexandria, Virginia.