Sharon has mild stroke - doctors

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a mild stroke tonight and was taken to a Jerusalem’s hospital for treatment, medics there said.

Sharon never lost consciousness and his condition quickly improved, said Yuval Weiss, deputy director of the Hadassah Hospital.

The premier was expected to be released soon, he said.

“Initial checks showed he had a light stroke and during checks his condition improved. He was always conscious and didn’t need any surgical intervention,” Weiss said, adding that Sharon was speaking to his family.

Sharon, 77 and very overweight, has been a political fixture of Israeli politics for more than three decades. Last month he broke away from his hardline Likud Party and formed the centrist Kadima faction to contest March 28 parliamentary elections.

The party, which has a commanding lead in the polls, is built around Sharon, and it was unclear what would happen if Sharon were too ill to campaign. If Sharon were incapacitated Vice Premier Ehud Olmert would take over the government.

Sharon had just finished a meeting tonight with government officials to discuss poverty when he felt weak.

He was immediately rushed to the hospital in his official vehicle, all nearby roads were closed and he was taken directly to the emergency room.

Sharon lost consciousness on the trip to the hospital, but quickly woke up, an aide to Sharon said.

A statement from the prime minister’s office later denied he lost consciousness.

Israel TV said Sharon was a little confused, but conscious, and communicating with his doctors. He had no difficulty moving his arms and legs. He underwent an MRI exam and was being treated by neurologists.

Shmuel Shapira, another hospital official, said Sharon was “in stable condition … his condition is satisfactory”.

Sharon’s sons, Omri and Gilad, are at his side in the hospital.