Israel Sharon Suffers Serious Stroke, Olmert in Power

Israel News Agency ^ | January 5, 2006 | Joel Leyden

[IsraelBeach]

Israel Sharon Suffers Serious Stroke, Olmert in Power

Sharon Is Fighting For His Life

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem----January 5.....Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been rushed to hospital this evening suffering from a major stroke. Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has now assumed the powers of Israel Prime Minister.

The Jewish nation is watching the events unfold on Israel television and praying for Sharon's speedy recovery. A speedy recovery may not be realized as doctors and Israel TV are describing the situation as life threatening with Sharon presently undergoing an operation for a cerebral hemorrhage. There are reports that the former war hero who created the elite Israel Defense Forces 101 Unit and led Israel troops across the Suez into Egypt during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, has lost movement of his lower body.

According to the Government Press Office and the Prime Minister's Media Adviser, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon this evening felt unwell and was taken to the Hadassah-Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. "Since the Prime Minister's treatment requires that he be anesthetized, Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon spoke a short while ago with Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Attorney-General Meni Mazuz; it was decided that Prime Minister Sharon's authority would be transferred to Acting Prime Minister Olmert, who is receiving regular updates regarding Prime Minister Sharon's condition. The Cabinet is now being updated."

Sharon, who has always laughed off adversity, is in a very grave medical situation. According to a medical expert, the procedure is life threatening. Asked what are the chances of surviving this type of surgery, the doctor replied, "Let's be optimistic, some people survive it." The prime minister's close associates said of his condition: "Hope for a miracle."

According to Justice Ministry spokesman Ya'acov Galant, a prime minister legally remains in his post only as long as he is capable of making decisions. Since Sharon is not conscious after suffering from what doctors termed "a serious stroke," his powers and prerogatives were transferred to his deputy, Finance Minister Ehud Olmert.

The Rabbinate in Israel is now organizing a prayer rally service at the Jerusalem's Western Wall. When Sharon had been rushed to the hospital shortly after 10 p.m., his spokesmen claimed that Sharon was conscious and able to speak, but had complained that he was suffering from weakness and "felt ill." Sharon reached the hospital and was carried in on a stretcher shortly before 11 p.m., and was admitted to the hospital's emergency room.

Sharon, who is 77, suffered a "significant'' stroke and was brought to Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital from his ranch in the Negev desert, an official said. Israel Channel 2 TV said Sharon was suffering from paralysis in his lower body and was taken into the hospital on a stretcher.

Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the hospital's director general, said Sharon was under general anesthetic and was receiving breathing assistance while doctors assessed his condition. A few minutes later, Mor-Yosef emerged to say that initial tests showed Sharon had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in his brain. Addressing reporters in English, Mor-Yosef said Sharon had "massive bleeding and was being transferred to an operating theatre.''

Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon said Sharon's authority had been transferred to Vice- Premier Ehud Olmert. The latest health crisis came hours before Sharon was to undergo a procedure to seal a hole in his heart that contributed to a mild stroke on Dec. 18. Since then, his doctors said in a briefing a week ago, Sharon has lost several pounds.

The dramatic downturn in Sharon's health comes as Sharon runs for re-election on March 28 at the head of a new centrist party, Kadima, and he enjoys a wide lead in the polls. The party's strength is centered on Sharon himself, and if he were forced to leave the scene. Israel's political scene would be thrown into turmoil. Sharon's office said his personal physician was with him. He was taken by ambulance, a drive of more than an hour from his ranch in the Negev Desert in Israel's south, instead of by helicopter.

On Dec. 18, Sharon was taken to Hadassah Hospital from his office after suffering a mild stroke. Doctors said he would not suffer long-term effects from the stroke, but they discovered a birth defect in his heart that apparently contributed to the stroke. Security agents and police spread out around the Jerusalem hospital before Sharon arrived, setting up a security perimeter. Since the first stroke, Sharon has been receiving blood thinners to try to prevent a recurrence of the clotting that caused the stroke. Sharon was scheduled to check into the Jerusalem hospital on Thursday for the procedure repairing a tiny hole between the upper chambers of his heart. Doctors said the blood clot that briefly lodged in Sharon's brain on Dec. 18, causing the stroke, made its way through the hold and from there to a cranial artery.

Ariel (“Arik”) Sharon was born at Kfar Malal in Israel on February 27, 1928. He served in the Israel Defense Forces for more than 25 years, retiring with the rank of Major-General. He holds an LL.B in Law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1962).

Sharon joined the Israel Haganah at the age of 14 in 1942. During the 1948 Israel War of Independence, he commanded an infantry company in the Alexandroni Brigade. In 1953, he founded and led the "101" special commando unit which carried out retaliatory operations.

Sharon was appointed commander of a Paratroop Corps in 1956 and fought in the Sinai Campaign. In 1957 he attended the Camberley Staff College in Great Britain. During 1958-62, Sharon served as Infantry Brigade Commander and then Infantry School Commander, and attended Law School at Tel Aviv University. He was appointed Head of the Northern Command Staff in 1964 and Head of the Army Training Department in 1966. He participated in the 1967 Six Day War as commander of an armored division. In 1969 he was appointed Head of the Southern Command Staff.

Sharon resigned from the army in June 1972, but was recalled to active military service in the 1973 Yom Kippur War to command an armored division. He led the crossing of the Suez Canal which brought about victory in the war and eventual peace with Egypt. Ariel Sharon was elected to the Knesset in December 1973, but resigned a year later, serving as Security Adviser to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (1975). He was elected to the Knesset in 1977 on the Shlomzion ticket. Following the elections, he joined the Herut party and was appointed Minister of Agriculture in Menachem Begin's first government (1977-81).

One of his priorities was to pursue agricultural cooperation with Egypt. In 1981 Ariel Sharon was appointed Defense Minister, serving in this post during the Lebanon War, which brought about the destruction of the PLO terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon. In the realm of international relations, he was instrumental in renewing diplomatic relations with the African nations which had broken off ties with Israel during the Yom Kippur War. In November 1981, he brought about the first strategic cooperation agreement with the U.S. and widened defense ties between Israel and many nations. He also helped bring thousands of Jews from Ethiopia through Sudan.

In 1983, Sharon resigned as Israel Defense Minister after a government commission found him indirectly responsible for the September 1982 massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Lebanese Christians. Sharon remained in the government as a minister without portfolio and then served as Minister of Industry and Trade from 1984-90. In this capacity, he concluded the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. in 1985.

From 1990-1992, he served as Israel Minister of Construction and Housing and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Immigration and Absorption. Following the fall of the Soviet Union and the waves of immigration from Russia, he initiated and carried out a program to absorb the immigrants throughout the country, including the construction of 144,000 apartments. From 1992-1996, he served as a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

In 1996, Ariel Sharon was appointed Minister of National Infrastructure and was involved in fostering joint ventures with Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians. He also served as Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Bedouin advancement. In 1998, Ariel Sharon was appointed Foreign Minister and headed the permanent status negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. While serving as Foreign Minister, Sharon met with U.S., European, Palestinian and Arab leaders to advance the peace process. He worked mostly to create and advance projects such as the Flagship Water Project funded by the international community to find a long-term solution to the region's water crisis and a basis to peaceful relations between Israel, Jordan, the Palestinians and other Middle Eastern countries.

Following the election of Ehud Barak as Prime Minister in May 1999, Ariel Sharon was called upon to become interim Likud party leader following the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu. In September 1999, he was elected Chairman of the Likud. He also served as a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset. In a special election held February 6, 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected Prime Minister. He presented his government to the Knesset on March 7, 2001. After calling early elections to the 16th Knesset, which were held on January 28, 2003, Ariel Sharon was charged by the president with the task of forming a government and presented his new government to the Knesset on February 27, 2003. Sharon is widowed and has two sons.

At this time Sharon, who has provided both security and stability to Israel and the region, is still being operated on with his condition being described as "stable but grave." Asked if Sharon will survive, a hospital spokesperson could not answer.

"He is a fighter," said Sharon media advisor Ranan Gissin. "We pray that he will win this battle as well."

Israel News Agency

[Accygirl]

No, but it does mean withdrawing from all but the largest settlement blocks and building a huge border fence to prevent suicide bombers from entering Israel.

[Salem]

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Warnings ~

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"Then let's wait and see what the Arabs do after they take Gaza. There's nothing like Arab reality to break up a Jewish fantasy."—FReeper Noachian
A student told his professor he was going to "Palestine" to "fight for freedom, peace and justice,"—Orwellian leftist code words that mean "murder Jews."
The Nature Of Bruce ~

[backhoe]

Keep your powder dry, neighbor- this, the recall of ex-Secretaries of Defense and State, the gold runup- I see a bad moon a' risin'...

[kress]

No matter how much I disagree with Sharon, I must respect and cherish what he has done for Israel since before its inception.

The man certainly does not deserve to die. Hopefully, he will make a full recovery and then he ought to either reverse his course regarding the foreign policies of Israel vis-a-vis the Israeli-Arab conflict and/or step down and let someone else deal with the future of Israel more effectively.

There were some people in Israel who wished him dead not so long ago. A Jew hating another Jew is one of the greatest sins in Judaism. Two temples fell precisely because of hatred (Sin'at Hinam) between fellow Jews and it must not be allowed to happen again.

The question that remains now, even if hopefully Sharon recovers, is who will replace him?

There isn't a single politician/statesman in Israel with a clear vision for the future and a true sense of leadership.

Peretz is a liberal socialist who would sell Israel to the highest bidder and so will the rest of the Labor party leftists.
Bibi is not trustworthy, I'm afraid. The guy is very well spoken, but he is not the kind of guy I would trust to lead Israel in these trying times. He just doesn't have the backbone.

With Sharon's political career at its end, Kadima is a non-party. It's virtually dead. The party is made of centrist, opportunist, PC politicians with no ideologies, no clear agenda, and absolutely ZERO leadership skills.

Where does that leave Israel? Without a clear leader who can combat terrorism and a guy who can deal with Israel's foreign policies in regards to Iran and the Arabs in the big picture. Israel it getting shot at every turn, capitulating more and more in front of the world, with no REAL support from any country in the world (yes, that includes the US who is pressing Israel into further appeasement). Israel is at a crossroads right now. Let us pray that G_d will carry His People to TRUE peace and prosperity and help them in these hard times.

2006 will definitely be a VERY interesting year. We're only 4 days into the year and this happens.

[floridaobserver]

"Bibi is not trustworthy, I'm afraid. The guy is very well spoken, but he is not the kind of guy I would trust to lead Israel in these trying times. He just doesn't have the backbone."


Bibi doesn't have the backbone?? He's already announced that he intends to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities as soon as he takes office.

Say what you will about Netanyahu, but he has enough backbone . . I don't understand your critcism.

[Andy from Beaverton]

In all likelihood his political career is over - let's pray that he recovers enough to live a number of useful and happy years in retirement.
He'll be lucky if he lives until the end of the week. He has far too many things going against him like his age, weight and overall health. I suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage in November, which is far less severe than Sharon's, and only half the people will live after six months. That is only saying live, many suffer a lot of permanent damage. God was either watching over me or sending me a message. If Sharon lives, he will be in so much pain while the blood travels down his spine, he will have to be living on morphine.

[zarf]

montag, you're living in a bubble. Sharon's withdrawl was the most effective decision considering the constraints placed on the Israelis by the US and the international community.

Wave your fist and shriek all you like, but Sharon realizes that until the Israeli's are permitted to engage in an all out blood letting, the occupation of Gaza made no sense.

[IsraelBeach]

A Prayer for Ariel Sharon, his Family and Israel-please sign this prayerpetition redwillf

Members:

Please sign this healing prayer petition for the warrior and
peacemaker that is Ariel Sharon...

http://new.petitiononline.com/rt6e5467/petition.html

To: Israel, PM Ariel Sharon and his Family

A Prayer for Ariel Sharon

You are mighty, Lord, who brings healing to the sick,
You are great in granting salvation,
providing the living with sustenance, with lovingkindness,
caring for the sick with great mercies,
supporting the fallen, healing the sick,
releasing the captive,
and keeping faith with those who are lost among the living,
Who is like you, Master of mighty acts, and who compares to you,
King who restores health, and causes salvation to sprout,
You who are faithful, comforting the ill among us,
Blessed are You, Lord who heals the sick.

Prayer for healing
Hear my prayer, O Lord, heed my plea for mercy.
In time of trouble I call You, for You will answer me.
When pain and illness are my companions, let there be room in my heart
for strength.
When the days and nights are filled with darkness, let the light of
courage find its place.
Help me endure the suffering and dissolve the fear; renew within me the calm spirit of trust and peace.
Boruch Atah Adonai, Ro-fei HaCholim
We praise you, O God, Healer of the Sick

Mi Sheberach
May the One who blessed our ancestors, Sarah and Abraham, Rebecca and Isaac, Leah, Rachel and Jacob bless (insert name here) along with all of the ill among us. Grant insight to those who bring healing, courage and faith to those who are sick, love and strength to us and to all who love them. God, let your spirit rest upon all who are ill and comfort them. May they and we soon know a time of complete healing, a
healing of the body and a healing of the spirit and let us say: Amen.

Concluding prayer
May the one who creates harmony above make peace for us and for all Israel,
And for all who dwell on earth. And say: Amen.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

[Salem]

"...Let us pray that G_d will carry His People to TRUE peace and prosperity and help them in these hard times."

There is more truth than you think in your statements. That G-d continues to call His people back to Him is undeniable.

That being said, I scanned this picture of Ariel Sharon from one of my books. Most pictures of Sharon you will find on the 'net are of an elderly, gray haired old man; portrayed now as weak and dying. Never forget he was instrumental in the further strengthening of the Nation of Israel in earlier and even more troubling times, an effective warrior, and a powerful man.

Save one for your records.

[Salem]

Forgot the rest of the list. 'Ping' to 51.

[Judith Anne]

The love of this American woman for Eretz Israel, and prayers for Sharon and Israel to all Israelis.

[apackof2]

Thanks for this picture, prayers for Sharon and Israel

[Salem]

Yep, pod'nah, these continue to be real challenging times!

[Sabramerican]

Since I heard of this I can't stop thinking of the ode "To an Athlete Dying Young".

A couple of years ago, had this happened, he would have gone down as one of Israel's greatest heroes. He overstayed.

He has done immeasurable damage to Israel in the last few years.

And his legacy will not be his earlier triumphs but the future pain.

He can do no more harm. I wish him well.

[KingofZion]

Prayers did not do much for the miners.

Time to start making funeral arrangements and decide who is worthy of trust to lead our only mideast ally.

[claudiustg]

I just heard the news about Sharon. This is so unspeakably sad. Just recently I came across of a picture of him, where he looked so boyishly happy, that you would think no harm could possibly come to him.
Sharon is rare and great man.

[kress]

Well understand this.

He never undone the Oslo accords, and even tried to implement the agreed steps in the accords.
He said he will never give Hebron and guess what? He did.
He was widely known to have dealt with Arafat and has actually shook his hands more than once (look for photos in Google).
He was part of the Haled Mash'al fiasco where he ordered the Mossad to provide the antidote to Mash'al in return for several Mossad agents' release. That's negotiating with terrorists for you.
In October '98 he accepted further withdrawals from some areas of the West Bank and agreed to open an airport in the Gaza Strip.
He's a coward with a zigzag mentality. Initially he supported the disengagement from Gaza, and then only several days before he cowered and voted against it.
People in Israel don't take him seriously anymore.

[safisoft]

Arik, you gave away the Land that was not yours to give away, but we still love you and pray that HaShem will be gracious toward you.

May He Who watches over Yisra'el watch over PM Sharon.

Blessed Art Thou HaShem Who Hears Prayer.