 ...the description fits the current medical condition of the Israeli prime minister, but also his person. For Israelis, the qualities that provoked dread in bleeding hearts like me clearly elicited a sense of safety and stability. Whatever happens next, all that's certain is uncertainty now.
To stiplate: I have never been a fan of Ariel Sharon. He remains, in my mind, a rather thuggish figure, eternally linked to the Sabra and Shatila massacres, which by rights should have driven him from public life. He also is the "father" of the disastrous (and still expanding) settlement movement that has brought Israel to the brink of self-destruction by shipping religious militants from Brooklyn and Europe along with impoverished Russian jews into the occupied territories in order to hold onto "Biblical real estate" that the United Nations, and essentially everyone but the United States (both political parties) says belongs to the Palestinians -- and by holding onto 2 million Palestinians who don't want to be ruled by them... (I also have a more personal reason: Sharon and the Israeli governments close involvement with Apartheid South Africa and the training of rebels in my father's country, the then-Zaire, during the 1980s when Sharon was defense minister...)
That said, I agree with those who say that without Sharon (and even if he survives his massive stroke, it's highly unlikely he'll return as P.M.) peace between the Israelis and Palestinians has less of a chance than ever. The Israeli left is commendable in my opinion, but it has no credibility where it counts: with Israelis. Likudniks like Netanyahu are just plain scary. Maybe it really does take a former tough guy general to finally figure out a way to make peace.
In many ways, the two "old men" of the occupied terrotories -- Yasser Arafat and Sharon --have pretty much had their thumbs on the scales of peace in that region for as long as I've been alive and aware. How ironic that the the death of the one with the Nobel Peace Prize was seen as opening the door, while the grave injury of the one reviled by many, especially in Europe and of course, across the Arab world, could very well shut it. In the end, neither man got the job done for his people. Both the Israelis and the Palestinians are understandably nervous today.
Original post: Israel's Ariel Sharon was rushed to the hospital earlier and is now said to have suffered a major stroke. Ehud Olmert has taken over Sharon's duties as prime minister ... this could obviously be a major development if Sharon's condition -- described as "grave" -- does not improve...
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