Sharon facing ‘moment of truth’

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was reported to be in a “very worrying” condition as he spent his ninth day in a medically induced coma since suffering a massive brain haemorrhage.

Mr Sharon has been in intensive care since his collapse and after three bouts of surgery to stem bleeding in the brain, Israelis are increasingly resigned to the likelihood that he will never return to government.

The Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem said Mr Sharon remains in a “serious and stable” condition, but that he is yet to emerge fully from a deep coma.

Doctors have been slowly reducing levels of anaesthesia, but the 77-year-old premier has yet to awaken.

Israeli public radio quoted medical sources as saying Mr Sharon’s condition was “very worrying, even frightening ... The moment of truth is approaching”.

Doctors have given a series of upbeat medical reports following the initial shock of the demise of a man many in Israel regarded as the ultimate strongman with a near-infallible resilience.

Despite his stricken state, the new centrist party that Mr Sharon founded just six weeks before his collapse has maintained a sweeping lead over rivals in the latest opinion polls published ahead of Israel’s general election in March.

The polls, conducted by the Maariv and Yediot Aharonot newspapers, accorded Kadima 43 and 42 seats respectively in the 120-member parliament.

The centre-left Labour party would win 17 and Mr Sharon’s crisis-ridden former Likud party 16 seats according to Maariv or 13 as reported by Yediot.

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is now almost certain to lead Kadima to the March 28 election, was also favourite to be elected premier with 45.7%, well ahead of Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu with 26.6%.