Sunday, December 18, 2005
PM's Stroke: Shaking Up the Shakeup?
PM Ariel Sharon has suffered a minor stroke:
If you really, really liked this -- or even really, really hated it -- there's lots more:
While there may be some whose political positions would lead them to rejoice in this development, I hope that is by far the minority, even amongst those who disagree with the PM. The ideas and positions at stake in the upcoming elections merit voters' scrutiny, and not just a default victory of one position because of the ill-health of the others' representative.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was rushed to hospital in Jerusalem on Sunday evening after apparently suffering a minor stroke.
The prime minister had been unconscious when he arrived at Hadassah, but later came round. 'He lost consciousness on the way to hospital and then regained it,' said one medic.
That the PM's life is not in danger is good news. There is still a lot to learn in the coming hours and days, however, about how this will affect the reorganization of the Israeli political spectrum, and how vigorously Sharon will be able to try to lead it. Could Mofaz or Olmert step in and carry the weight of a brand new party with tens of unaffiliated MKs clustered only around their ability to hold their ambitions together? I doubt it, but I'm far from an expert on the soap opera side of things.
Channel 10 quoted the hospital as saying that the prime minister's life was not in danger.
