Palestinian calls Sharon illness 'God's gift'

Arab media today closely watched the hospital condition of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, with satellite TV channels running updates at the bottom of their screens.

While Sharon was widely despised among Arabs, newspapers and television stations ran straightforward reports about him.

In the Gulf particularly, news about the Israeli leader competed with the funeral prayers for Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the emir of Dubai and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, who died yesterday.

In Damascus, Syria, a radical Palestinian leader called Sharon’s health crisis a gift from God.

The Al-Jazeera satellite channel broadcast a special report on Sharon’s health situation.

A Palestinian commentator on the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network offered Sharon unexpected praise as “the first Israeli leader who stopped claiming Israel had a right to all of the Palestinian’s land”, a reference to Israel’s recent withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

There are fears Sharon’s illness could delay Palestinian parliamentary elections scheduled for January 25.