The following comments and analyses appeared on several news sites in wake of Arik Sharon’s massive stroke;
Excerpts;
“The question is whether Kadima has a future without Sharon. A significant number of politicians and public figures have joined the party, following Sharon. With him gone, internecine squabbling over the leadership could well break out. The prime minister’s responsibilities have been handed over to Finance Minister Ehud Olmert according to law, but few Kadima members will want one of the most unpopular politicians in the country to lead them into the elections.”
“Over a third of the electorate were willing to vote for Kadima for one reason only. They relied on Ariel Sharon as the country’s leader. What is left for them now?”
Sharon Stroke Throws Kadima into State of Uncertainty
Full Text;
“Kadima members were thrown into a state of uncertainty Wednesday night for the second time in three weeks amid mounting concern for the prime minister.”
“None of them would comment on the event.”
“‘No doubt it’s a significant event; we don’t know what’s happening with us in this situation. It’s very worrying. We thought we were out of it,’ a senior Kadima member said Wednesday night.”
“Apart from the ministers, the faction members were glued to the television and radio to find out the latest details about Sharon’s condition. All the advisers, including Reuven Adler and attorney Yoram Rabad, arrived at the hospital.”
“On Wednesday, despite reported development in the bribery affair, Kadima’s members awoke to a flattering poll giving their party 42 Knesset seats. The political storm raised by the bribery case could not stamp out the feeling of satisfaction.”
“At noon Sharon met Otniel Schneller, former secretary general of the Settlers Council, and recruited him to Kadima. However, Sharon has not yet decided on the order of the members on Kadima’s Knesset list. It is not clear who number 2 is, after Sharon. ”
“According to Kadima’s regulations, Sharon will make up the list until the new party establishes institutions. Even after his first hospitalization, the regulations were not changed.”
“Minister Ehud Olmert, the deputy prime minister, is the most senior in Kadima, but that does not ensure him the number 2 slot. Sharon did not have time to appoint the ministers he intended to in the week after his hospitalization.”
“After the first time he was hospitalized, Sharon’s advisers carried out a media ‘blitz’ with the intention of removing the issue of Sharon’s health from the agenda as soon as possible.
“On the night he was hospitalized Sharon spoke to political reporters, and the message in the following days was clear – Sharon was back on his feet. However, the hospitalization exposed abruptly Kadima’s state as a one-man party. The political fate of all the senior ministers and MKs who left their parties to join him depend on Sharon.”
Analysis: A Tragic End to Ariel Sharon’s One-Man Show
Excerpts;
“The hospitalization of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, this time because of a cerebral hemorrhage, will make it difficult for him to return to his job even if he gets through the medical treatment and gets better.”
“Moreover, even if he does recover, he will have a very hard time convincing the public of his ability to serve four more years, after undergoing two strokes in two and a half weeks. ”
“One can cautiously say that it appears that the era in which Sharon stood at Israel’s helm came to a tragic end on Wednesday.”
“The collapse of Sharon’s health leaves Israel in a strange situation: Vice Premier Ehud Olmert is heading a transitional government on the eve of elections. The ruling party, Kadima, has no institutions or organizational structure, and it is not clear how a replacement for Sharon will be chosen. The race for prime minister, which until Wednesday looked like Sharon’s one-man show, is now open.”
Full Text:
“Kadima Party officials are seeking to exhibit an air of calm but in reality, the situation is anything but.”
“When the prime minister suffered a minor stroke last month, Kadima leaders released statements of assurance that Mr. Sharon was capable of returning to his post, adding he was medically fit to continue serving as prime minister.”
“Today, this is not the case and it is evident to all that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is out of the political picture, at least for the immediate future. Finance Minister Ehud Olmert, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, has assumed the role of Acting Prime Minister.”
“Kadima officials are just beginning to digest the news of the prime minister’s hemorrhagic stroke and they must now begin formulating a new strategy for the upcoming March election.”
Likud Undecided on Planned Resignations
Excerpts;
“As a result of the prime minister’s medical condition and the resulting realities, there are already calls among Likud faction members to scrap the planned resignations of party ministers from the cabinet on Sunday.”
” … The decision to quit the cabinet Sunday will most likely come under review during the coming days.”
Pre-Election Turmoil Following Sharon’s Stroke
Report on some of the possible ramifications and scenarios of Sharon’s stroke on the 28 March, 2006 elections.
Text: Basic Law: The Knesset – Extending the Knesset’s Term
Poll: Kadima without Sharon 13 Labor 18 Likud 16 Undecided 36
Political Ramifications of Sharon’s Massive Stroke; This blog has endeavored to stay away from polls and speculation knowing the history of polls in Israel and their degree of accuracy and manipulability.
However, in light of the present circumstances and for context, it is interesting to contrast this poll with the most recent previous poll compiled only yesterday;
Poll: Sharon Party 42 Labor 19 Likud 14
Father, The Son and The Holy Stench
Excerpts;
“The political establishment has undergone many twists over the past year, but if current suspicions prove true, the biggest twist could well be yet in front of us.”
“To be exact: If Israel is a democratic country, a country in which the law applies to all people – a deep shiver should shake the Israeli political establishment to its very core.”
Commentary:
Even in light of Sharon’s current medical condition, there can be no rachmanis regarding his alleged record of graft, corruption, extortion perpetrated on the nation, as well as his strong-armed expulsion of Jews at legalized gunpoint, relinquishment of national assets, injury to the national agriculture and economy and setting off Jew against Jew in ways that no one in this author’s generation has ever done.
In this author’s opinion, these are crimes against the Jewish people which cannot be overlooked regardless of circumstances. MB