Palestinians fear turmoil after Sharon news

Palestinian leaders anxiously followed reports on Ariel Sharon’s deteriorating health tonight, fearing the prime minister’s departure from the political scene could worsen turmoil in the West Bank and Gaza and perhaps even derail this month’s elections there.

The Israeli leader is still widely reviled in the Arab world, but reactions among ordinary Palestinians were largely subdued. A few schoolchildren handed out candy in a Gaza refugee camp and hoisted posters saying, “Death to Sharon.”

The 77-year-old Israeli leader was in serious condition at a Jerusalem hospital tonight, after seven hours of emergency surgery to stop widespread bleeding in his brain. Sharon’s associates said they did not expect the prime minister to recover enough to resume his post.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called Israeli officials to express concern over Sharon’s deteriorating health.

“We look with great worry on what might happen if (Sharon) is impaired,” Abbas said upon returning to Ramallah tonight.

The two leaders last met in June to coordinate the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. During the tense meeting, Sharon scolded Abbas for not doing enough to stop terror attacks.

Ordinary Palestinians were divided over whether Sharon was Israel’s greatest villain or their best chance for peace. But there was no outpouring of glee in Palestinian towns, as there was when Sharon was hospitalised two weeks ago after his first stroke.

“Sharon went a long way down the path to peace, and he is the only Israeli leader capable of making peace with the Palestinians,” said Jalal Salman, 26, a spokesman for An-Najah University in Nablus.

Akram Abu Sibaa, a 40-year-old resident of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, said he was happy to get rid of Sharon, but expected little to change after him.

“After Sharon, nothing will change for the Palestinians. The Israeli strategy is the same, not giving the Palestinian people any of their rights,” Abu Sibaa said.

In Gaza City, Omar Musleh, a 22-year old resident of Gaza city, said he rejoiced all night, awaiting an announcement of Sharon’s passing.

Before he was taken ill, Sharon – who suffered a minor stroke on December 18 - had been expected to lead his Kadima Party and its peacemaking agenda to a solid victory in March 28 Israeli elections.

The vacuum now created by Sharon’s absence is liable to translate into more indecision and tougher positions toward the Palestinians, Palestinian officials said.

“We are really concerned,” said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. “We hope that competition (to succeed him) will not be at our expense, meaning more settlements, more walls, more incursions, more assassinations, more occupation, more dictates.”

Abbas, already under pressure at home to postpone parliamentary elections likely to batter his ruling Fatah party, said he didn’t expect Sharon’s health to affect the balloting.

But he repeated that the elections might be cancelled if Israel makes good on a threat to bar voting in Jerusalem. Underlying the dispute over voting procedures are competing claims by both sides to the city as a capital.

Hamas militants, running for the first time in a parliamentary election, represent a serious challenge to Abbas’ corruption-tainted Fatah, which has dominated Palestinian politics for more than four decades.

Although Sharon became the first Israeli leader to hand over land to the Palestinians with his Gaza Strip withdrawal, he has long been a much distrusted and reviled figure for his harsh actions against Palestinians and decades-long championship of Jewish settlements.