israel

Stroke Could Affect Sharon’s Political Future

By Chris Mitchell
Middle East Bureau Chief

CBN.com – JERUSALEM, Israel - Aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he will be released from the hospital tomorrow.

Sharon is going through medical tests and evaluations today, after suffering a light stroke Sunday evening.

Sharon's doctor said he suffered no long-term damage from the stroke.

“At the beginning, he had some problems with speech. It started like that, but it was for a few moments and that is all. No sensory impairment, no motor impairment, nothing, " said Dr. Boroslaw Goldman, Sharon's personal physician.

But while Sharon's doctors insist there is no physical damage, it remains to be seen what political damage he will suffer. The implications for Israeli politics are enormous.

Sharon recently bolted from his former party, the Likud, and started a new party called Kadima. The new party shot to the top of the polls, looked like it would win the majority of seats in the upcoming march elections, and give Sharon another four-year term as prime minister.

With new questions about his health, and Sharon turning 78 in February, it is unclear how Israeli voters will react. Kadima functions as a one-man party, based more on Sharon himself than party or platform.

A who's-who of Israeli politicians had rallied around Sharon. But now their political future is uncertain.

Meanwhile, Likud voters around the country are deciding who will be the next leader of their party today. The election pits former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against current Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.

After Sharon’s stroke, that vote becomes even more important.

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