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Doctors check Sharon for more bleeding
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-07 20:16
Olmert took calls from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Friday, a sign that the Israeli government was moving ahead without its hard-charging leader.
Rice, who canceled a six-day trip to Indonesia and Australia, told Olmert that "every U.S. citizen, from the president to the last citizen, are praying for Sharon's health," Olmert's office said.
Key members in Sharon's Kadima Party said they would rally around Olmert, easing concerns that the movement, founded by Sharon two months ago, might fracture in his absence. A new poll showed Kadima emerging victorious in March 28 elections under Olmert's leadership.
A man reads a Hebrew newspaper displaying a photo of ailing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at a bus stop in front of the emergency ward of the Haddasah Enkerem hospital in Jerusalem January 7, 2006.[Reuters] |
Palestinian leaders, holding a parliamentary election of their own Jan. 25, said they were also in touch with Israeli officials about Sharon's condition. "We are closely monitoring the situation," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
With little hope that Sharon would return to power, Israelis mostly clung to memories of the charismatic leader who left his mark on almost every aspect of Israeli life, fighting in all its battles and capping his legacy as an immensely popular prime minister.
"He's like an old car. You know they don't make old cars like that anymore," said Haim Zanko, 23, of Tel Aviv, who prayed for Sharon at the Western Wall.
Independent doctors said Sharon's chances for recovery were slim, and Sharon's aides said they were working on the assumption he would not return to work.
The bleeding and swelling treated Friday, while not unexpected, are life-threatening complications that make the prospect of survival ever slimmer, said Dr. Anthony Rudd, a stroke specialist at St. Thomas' Hospital in London.
"It sounds like a last desperate attempt to salvage something, but the prognosis must now be terrible," he said.
Noting that a CT scan shows the structure — not the function — of the brain, Rudd said the improvement that Sharon's doctors referred to likely applies to the reduction of swelling seen in the earlier scan.
Sharon's second stroke came hours before doctors were scheduled to repair a hole in his heart discovered after he suffered a mild stroke on Dec. 18.
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