 | | Hospital Director Dispels Rumors: Sharon is Alive, Unconscious
The Director-General of Hadassah Hospital, Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, spoke to reporters at 2 PM this afternoon and told them that the rumors of Sharon's death are not true.
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More Details |  | | Editor: Hillel Fendel
Thursday, January 05, 2006
5 Tevet 5766
 |
| | | 1. Hospital Director Dispels Rumors: Sharon is Alive, Unconscious
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
The Director-General of Hadassah Hospital, Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, spoke to reporters at 2 PM this afternoon and told them that the rumors of Sharon's death are not true.
|
"The Prime Minister's condition is stable, but still serious," he said. "All the vital signs that we measure are in accordance with what we expect after an operation of this type."
"Part of the required treatment at present," Mor-Yosef said, "is to retain low pressure within the skull, and this requires deep anesthetization for at least the coming 24 hours."
"My purpose in telling you this is, first of all, to keep you informed, and also," Mor-Yosef then added emphatically, "to put to bed the rumors that are sweeping the country. As director of Hadassah, I pledge that any change in the Prime Minister's condition will be reported to you."
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's condition deteriorated critically upon his arrival in the hospital Wednesday night, and he underwent an emergency seven-hour operation to stop the massive bleeding in his brain. Following the surgery, his condition was described as "serious," then "very serious."
It is noteworthy that virtually every interview on public television and radio begins with the interviewee saying that he is "praying for Sharon's full recovery." Most interviewees and their interviewers even add that they "join the entire country" in praying for the Prime Minister. As news of Sharon's operation became known, Army Radio reported that "spontaneous prayer quorums" had sprouted up at the Western Wall to pray for Sharon. This appeared to be a case of wishful thinking, however, as web-photos of the holy site, backed up by eyewitness testimony, showed very sparse attendance at the Wall - except for several press photographers making a rare visit and photographing the worshipers from various angles.
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| | 2. Olmert Holds First Cabinet Meeting Next to Sharon’s Empty Chair
|  | | By Hillel Fendel and Scott Shiloh
“This is a difficult time for all of us,” said Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the emergency cabinet meeting he led Thursday morning.The meeting was unusually short, and no decisions were made.
| “Arik is not just a leader, but a close friend to us all," Olmert said. "We all hope that Arik, who has won many battles in his life, will emerge from this one as well, healthy and whole."
Olmert conducted the meeting next to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s empty chair, which was placed as usual at the center of the long cabinet conference table.
Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz clarified today that Sharon is still considered to be only "temporarily" unable to fulfill his duties, meaning that Olmert is still only a "substitute" Prime Minister. The "temporary" period ends automatically after 100 days - but in any event, the national elections are only 82 days away.
Mazuz explained that the "temporary" period could also end based on a clear medical prognosis about Sharon's condition. In any event, Mazuz clarified that the elections will be held on March 28, as scheduled.
An unprecedented amount of power has now been concentrated in the hands of Ehud Olmert. In addition to serving as prime minister, he also holds the powers and portfolios of 12 government ministries. The ministries were recently vacated by the Labor Party ministers, and Sharon had not yet appointed their replacements.
At a meeting of police and security leaders today, it was decided that if the Prime Minister passes away, they will be the first to be informed. This, in order to enable the police and Shabak (General Security Service) to prepare for various situations, ranging from the expected arrival of throngs of citizens to the hospital, up to total preparedness of the security establishment for internal and external threats.
It was further decided that a total curfew would be declared on the Arab-populated areas of Judea and Samaria. Army forces are to be thickened in Judea and Samaria, and specifically around Gaza, from where Kassam rockets are expected to be fired in response to the news.
Likud party leader MK Binyamin Netanyahu has suspended his decision that Likud ministers must leave the government. That decision was supposed to take effect on Sunday, after Prime Minister Sharon’s heart catheterization which had been scheduled for today (Thursday).
“We’re still in [the government]," a senior Likud official said. "We have a responsibility to the country, and this not the time to discuss resignations." Netanyahu himself said that all politicking should be put on hold for a few days.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, #2 man in the Likud, said, “This is a painful and difficult time for the Israeli people. The hour is difficult and complicated.”
Education Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) said, “We are praying for the prime minister’s recovery. The Likud is represented at the cabinet meeting and will be here in the future.”
Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud), one of the only opponents of the disengagement who remained in Sharon’s Cabinet, said, “The Likud will stay in the government to assist its new head.” He described Sharon as “a great fighter who is now lying powerless, and we are all praying for his welfare.”
Justice Minister Tzippi Livni (Kadima), to whom Sharon was reportedly planning to grant a very high place on the party's Knesset list, said, “The message coming out of today’s cabinet meeting, aside from hoping and praying, is that the government is functioning. I will do everything I can to help the Acting Prime Minister function as leader of this government, and to make the right decisions. I am certain that the other ministers will do the same.”
Rabbi Yitzchak David Grossman, Chief Rabbi of the development town of Migdal HaEmek in the lower Galilee, visited Sharon's hospital room this afternoon. Rabbi Grossman, who spoke to Sharon yesterday afternoon, moved from Jerusalem's insulated Meah She'arim quarter over 30 years ago straight to Migdal HaEmek, is the founder and head of the Migdal Or yeshiva institutions, in which over 6,000 students - mostly from underprivileged homes - study.
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Buy Now at the Arutz Sheva Mall | | 3. Ehud Olmert: Israel´s Acting Prime Minister
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
Finance Minister Olmert, Israel's Acting Prime Minister, was the first to signal Ariel Sharon's leftward tilt, calling over 2 years ago for a withdrawal from most of Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
| Aged 60, Olmert was born in a small town called Nachalat Jabotinsky near Hadera, of which his father was one of the founding members.
Married with four children, Olmert graduated Hebrew University, where he studied psychology, philosophy and law. He was a military correspondent for the IDF magazine BaMachaneh, and served in the 8th through the 14th Knessets (1974-1999) as a Likud MK, and again in the current Knesset, the 16th. He was Health Minister under Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir in the early 1990s, and served in several Cabinet positions in the current government.
In 1993, then-MK Olmert ran against popular Teddy Kollek for the position of Mayor of Jerusalem, and defeated him. Olmert's campaign slogan was "Olmert - Because the Time Has Come" - a hint to Kollek's advanced age. This slogan was remembered with irony two weeks ago, after Olmert's new party leader - none other than Kadima founder Ariel Sharon - suffered a mini-stroke at the age of 77, prompting questions about Sharon's physical fitness to govern.
Olmert served simultaneously as a Knesset Member and Jerusalem Mayor for five years, until the late 1990s, but by the time his term in office had ended, the law had been changed and such double service was not permitted. He chose to give up his Knesset seat, running for and winning re-election, and continued in the mayor's office until 2003, when he ran again for Knesset.
He did not receive great support from the Likud membership, however, which chose him only to the 32nd slot on the list of Likud candidates; polls taken the week before the elections gave the Likud between 31-33 seats. In the event, the Likud won 38 seats, and Olmert became a Knesset Member once again.
Despite Olmert's poor showing, Prime Minister Sharon appointed him to the position of Minister of Industry and Trade, and more significantly, to that of Deputy Prime Minister - the position that has now made him Israel's Acting Prime Minister.
Ehud Olmert became the Likud's left-wing marker in late 2003, when he preceded Ariel Sharon's announcement of the planned disengagement from Gaza with an about-face of his own. In what was later viewed as the flying of a trial balloon for Sharon's new position, Olmert told the Yediot Acharonot daily that he favored a unilateral withdrawal from nearly all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, including the uprooting of almost all the Jewish communities there.
Olmert all but agreed that the only differences between his approach and that of the left-wing were that it would "sear his heart" to give up parts of the Land of Israel, and that he would not give up the Temple Mount and the Old City of Jerusalem.
Olmert's positions of the last two years thus contrasted strongly with his previous ideology, as he grew up in an atmosphere of love for the entire Land of Israel. His father Mordechai was an MK of the 3rd and 4th Knessets, a founder of Betar in Harbin China, a founder of two towns in the Land of Israel, and Head of the Settlement Department of the Herut Movement.
Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin, who also grew up in a Herut-party home, expressed disgust at Ehud Olmert's new positions. Rivlin said at the time that Olmert reminded him of the absolute turnabout of his hareidi-turned-secular cousins: "When they became not religious, they went all the way - not only driving on the Sabbath, but also eating pig."
In November 2003, Trade Minister Olmert antagonized the nationalist camp with his decision to facilitate the European Union's taxation of Yesha-made goods by ordering the city of manufacture to be listed on every Israeli product.
With the announcement that Olmert had been named Acting Prime Minister, the Shabak (General Security Service) immediately increased security around him. The area around his home in Jerusalem has been declared a "sterile" area.
Olmert spoke briefly with reporters late Wednesday night, saying only that he was "very very sad," and that he would go to his office the next morning to run the affairs of state. Olmert will convene a Cabinet meeting at 9 AM, facing a political situation unprecedented in Israeli history - a minority government run by a member of a party in formation with elections less than 12 weeks away, among other question marks.
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| | 4. Kassams Continue, Egypt-Gaza Border Open
|  | | By Ezra HaLevi
Kassam rockets continue to fall, the Gaza-Egyptian border lies open, and armed kidnappers seem to be showing some discretion in Gaza as to who they take into custody.
|
Six Kassam rockets struck Sderot on Wednesday evening, and two more landed near Ashkelon, injuring two people. This, despite the creation of a security zone on the site of destroyed Jewish towns in northern Gaza.
The Kassams that struck Sderot fell, once again, very close to a gas station on Road #34. Police say a direct hit could have detonated underground gas storage tanks and would have been devastating. Three rockets were also fired Tuesday night, one of them impacting near the same gas station.
Sderot residents ran for cover as the Red Dawn early warning system sounded its sirens several times throughout the night Tuesday and again Wednesday evening. The system alerts residents of an incoming missile, giving them half-a-minute to find cover.
Dozens of rockets have been fired as Sderot in the past week. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz told the Knesset Defense Committee Tuesday that the security zone created in northern Gaza was only designed to protect Ashkelon’s power station, and not the residents of Sderot and the western Negev.
In southern Gaza, armed terrorists used a bulldozer to knock down the concrete walls along the Gaza-Egypt border, opening the previously guarded passage to throngs of local Arabs from both sides that began crossing back and forth unchecked. Two Egyptian soldiers were killed and 37 injured before the 3,000 Egyptian troops stationed at the border chose to retreat rather than fire at the infiltrators. The border has previously been the site of intense IDF anti-smuggling efforts. Since Israel’s unilateral withdrawal, however, the transport of heavy weaponry and drugs over the border goes unhindered.
Elsewhere in Gaza, armed Fatah terrorists tried to kidnap the parents of Rachel Corrie, the American ISM activist who died while protesting IDF activities in Gaza in 2003. Once the terrorists were informed of the Corries’ alliances, they moved on.
Overnight Wednesday, security forces arrested eight wanted terrorists in Judea and Samaria. Three Islamic Jihad terrorists were apprehended in the village of Dir Al-Atzun, near Tul Karem, one PFLP terrorist was caught in the Jenin slums, and four Hamas terrorists were captured near Bethlehem and Ramallah.
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Click Here! | | 5. Israel´s Neighbors Warned "Not to Take Advantage"
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
Raanan Gissin, a close advisor to Prime Minister Sharon, said he would not advise any of Israel's neighbors to take advantage of the emergency situation Israel faces.
| "There is no vacuum here," Gissin told reporters at the hospital. "Ehud Olmert is the Acting Prime Minister, and the IDF is ready and strong."
As Mr. Sharon was being operated on, at least eight Kassam rockets were fired by Arab terrorists in Gaza at the Sderot and south-of-Ashkelon areas. No casualties or damage were reported.
With Olmert taking over the Prime Minister's duties as of Thursday morning, much of Israel's political scene has become very unclear. Technically, Olmert can make every decision a regularly elected Prime Minister can make, but the spirit of the law is that he must act with restraint, and not make far-reaching decisions. He is faced with the uncertainty of his new Kadima Party, which was founded by and based almost totally on the personality of Ariel Sharon. National elections are less than 12 weeks away and Kadima has no list of Knesset candidates - nor a mechanism for choosing one.
The only development that may be able to be counted on is that the Likud ministers will not resign from the government this Sunday. They had planned to quit at the behest of Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu himself resigned from the government five months ago, just before the disengagement, but Ministers Naveh, Shalom, Livnat and Katz remain.
Palestinian Authority Vice Chairman Nabil Shaath said, "On a personal level, we express sorrow at that which has happened to Sharon." He warned, however, that "politically, it will increase the uncertainty we face in anticipation of the renewal of the peace process." Most observers had predicted that terrorism against Israel could be expected to be strongly renewed following the PA elections three weeks from now.
Violence directed against PA Chairman Abu Mazen increased in Gaza on Wednesday. Two Egyptian soldiers were shot dead after a mob of Gazan Arabs stormed across the Gaza-Egyptian border, known as the Philadelphi Route. The militants had mounted a show of force throughout Wednesday after one of their leaders was arrested for his involvement of the kidnapping of several foreigners. The PA police have been unable to control the outbreak of violence, and some policemen have initiated some violence themselves.
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| |  | | By Hillel Fendel
Tzfat's Chief Rabbi says that, after seeing the destruction of Gush Katif, he is not praying for Sharon's welfare - but that Sharon has many merits. A Gush Katif rabbi is more forgiving.
|
Speaking on Arutz-7's "Preparing for Redemption" internet Hebrew radio program, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfat said, "Whoever saw the destruction in Gush Katif and northern Shomron, can't pray for Sharon's recovery. On the other hand, I am not happy about his condition, and we must remember that he has many merits."
Rabbi Yosef Al-Nekaveh, who was expelled from his home in N'vei Dekalim five months ago in the framework of Sharon's disengagement plan, disagrees. He angered some of his former and current neighbors in publicly calling for prayers on behalf of Sharon. "Sharon fought for the Land, and did much for the State," Rabbi Al-Nekaveh told Israel Radio, "and despite our disagreement on the disengagement plan, we should pray for him."
Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef of Shas rushed to call for prayers for Sharon last night. Shas leader MK Eli Yeshai said yesterday afternoon, before the beginning of the current medical emergency, that news of new evidence against Sharon in what is known as the Schlaff-Kern bribery affair should not have been released this week. "Publicizing that news right before his scheduled catheterization [originally set for this morning -ed.] was like puncturing the tires of his ambulance," Yeshai said.
One man who was ripped away from his Gush Katif home this past summer said, "I would like to see how you would act upon hearing that the man who destroyed your home and threw your family - and 1,700 others - into the street had become very ill."
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| |
| 7. Olmert Demands Taxes on Donated Items for Israel’s Needy
|  | | By Debbie Berman
Acting Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ehud Olmert demanded last month that taxes be paid on charity items recently donated by American Jews to help Israel’s needy population prepare for winter.
| Olmert's act raised a storm of angry criticism from Israeli and U.S. Jewish leaders, and has also created an unusually tense diplomatic climate sparking claims that trade treaties between Israel and America have been breached.
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Olmert made the decision to enforce an old, outdated law demanding a 28.5% tax and an additional airfare tax on U.S. charitable donations to Israel’s poor. The donations, which include medical supplies, clothing and toys, were the result of a charity drive in Jewish communities across the U.S. aimed at delivering the contributions to Israel in time for the holiday of Chanukah. While Olmert's staff refused to grant a reduction in the taxes that would allow the release of the charity items, Olmert himself took part in a press interview at a Tel Aviv soup kitchen, in an apparent move to publicize his concern for Israel's poor and needy.
A spokesperson at Olmert's office in the Ministry of Finance claimed the decision was made to protect Israel's second-hand garment industry:
“The law is explicit and has been in effect for decades. It is designed to protect the Israeli second-hand garment industry. If American donors want to assist Israel’s poor, they should send money and have clothing purchased in Israel for donations. The Ministry has looked into the matter at the very highest level of the Office of the Minister himself. The law to tax charitable donations is explicit, and no reduction of any kind can be considered. The American donors should have considered this consequence prior to engaging in so ambitious an undertaking.”
Israel Textile Union Chairman Ramsi Gabai denied the above claim:
“There has not even been a second-hand garment industry in Israel for 30 years. It is an absurdity to suggest that taxing American charity in any way defends the Israeli garment industry, or that such protection is at all desired by the Israeli textile industry. There is a Free Trade Agreement with the United States on all garments, which certainly covers charity if it covers items sold for profit. We ourselves at the Textile Union have a very large and successful program for the member firms to donate excess clothing inventory to charity. Are we to be taxed on our charity to the needy next?"
A spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy expressed frustration at the audacity of being taxed on charitable donations:
“There is no exemption from the Free Trade Agreement ratified with the State of Israel that would permit taxation of American citizens donating charity. The contention seems more bizarre than weak. The United States need not specifically include in its Free Trade treaties the self-evident inclusion of charitable donations for emergency relief in addition to commercially sold goods for profit. Did the Indonesians charge taxes on American charitable relief from the tsunami? Did India tax American charity donated after the killer monsoons? Did the Chileans tax American donations after the earthquake?”
Due to the unresolved crisis, more than 30 tons of donated clothing, toys, and medical supplies intended for Israel’s needy have been stranded for three weeks in warehouses at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport. The California-based donors who organized the charitable drive are not willing to pay the heavy tax imposed by Olmert's office.
Labor Party Economic Advisor and Knesset candidate Prof. Avishai Braverman attacked Olmert's decision and the entire Sharon Administration for its continued "callous and heartless" policies:
“We have become a truly heartless people during the Sharon Administration, to my deep regret. How blatant can the present government be in its mistreatment of the poorest citizens? ... This is much more than simple stupidity; it is a basic lack of humanity."
MK Effie Eitam (National Union) attempted to reassure American supporters of Israel that the Knesset would never allow Olmert's decision to stand:
“There has never been a Knesset – Likud or Labor, right or left, capitalist or communist - that has ever contemplated taxing American charity to Israel’s neediest. There never will be such a Knesset. Please do not let this temporary madness stop your wonderful efforts in assisting our neediest citizens. They should not be left to suffer for the stupidity of the present administration."
Many American Jewish leaders, who have traditionally been among Israel’s greatest supporters, voiced their anger at the situation. These included Rabbi Norman Lamm, the Chancellor Emeritus of Yeshiva University, as well as Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the Executive Vice-President, National Council of Young Israel Synagogues.
"It is the obligation of the American Jewish community," Rabbi Lamm stated, "not to remain silent to this outrage but to openly confront the Israeli government with the loud message: this is completely unacceptable. It is unacceptable in terms of all common decency. It is unacceptable in terms of all Western culture, and it is particularly unacceptable in its violation of every tenet of Judaism."
Rabbi Lerner said, “It is unheard of that donations of anything, especially clothing for children and adults who need such clothing to keep warm, should be held up by a government for customs taxes when that government and its agencies should themselves be supplying such assistance. The Jewish people are known for their concern for others. This government action is shameful."
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| | 8. Sharon Suffers Massive Stroke
|  | | A7 Radio's "The Tovia Singer Show"
| What does the end of the Sharon era mean to the future of the Jewish State? Also, Dr. Damon Salzman, a leading US neurologist, explains the seriousness of Sharon's cerebral hemorrhaging and organ failure.
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| | | 9. World Waits as Sharon Fights for Life
|  | | By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu and Hillel Fendel
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been on the operating table for over 5.5 hours. Reporters from around the world are awaiting word outside the emergency room of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
| The Prime Minister is on a respirator and has been anesthetized, undergoing an emergency operation for what doctors term "significant cerebral bleeding." Information on his condition is sparse, as only the operating team - three of the most senior surgeons in the country - has first-hand knowledge of the current situation. Aides close to Sharon and the hospital staff say, and their body language implies, that the situation is quite serious.
In general, the outcome of an operation of the type being performed on the Prime Minister is greatly in doubt. One website medical encylopedia states, "The outcome varies highly. Death may occur rapidly despite prompt medical treatment. Recovery may occur completely or with a permanent loss of some brain functions."
Dr. Yonatan HaLevy, the Director of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, said shortly after 2 AM - over two and a half hours after the beginning of the operation - that the longer the operation continues, the more serious the situation appears to be.
Sharon complained earlier Wednesday evening of a headache and pains in the chest and hand. He was then taken by ambulance from his home at the Shikmim Farm near Sderot to Hadassah Ein Karem in Jerusalem, arriving fully conscious at around 11 PM. However, his condition deteriorated almost as soon as he arrived, and he was quickly taken to the operating room.
The operation could take up to several hours and "is not simple," doctors said.
Sharon's personal physician, Dr. Shlomo Segev, accompanied him to the hospital. Doctors announced at around 11:30 PM that the Prime Minister had suffered a "significant" stroke, and later said that there was "significant" bleeding in his brain.
Aides said that after consultations with the office of Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, the Prime Minister's powers were transferred to his deputy, Finance Minister Ehud Olmert.
The Prime Minister, who is to turn 78 in February, suffered a mild stroke on December 18, and was to undergo surgery Thursday morning for a procedure to close a small hole in his heart. The planned procedure is considered routine, with only a small measure of risk. The small hole in his heart of about one-eighth of an inch, a common birth defect, was discovered after the mild stroke, which left him unconscious for several minutes.
The assumption has been raised that the medicines prescribed for Sharon after the stroke, including blood-thinners, may have led to the hemorrhaging. It was emphasized, however, that the prescription of such medicines was totally indicated by accepted medical practice.
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| | 10. Sharon in Critical But Stable Condition After 7 Hour Operation
|  | | By Scott Shiloh
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is in critical but stable condition after undergoing brain surgery for more than seven hours following a cerebral hemorrhage.
| After the surgery, Sharon was transferred to the intensive care unit in Hadassah Ein-Karem hospital.
The director-general of Hadassah, Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, said that Sharon’s vital signs were stable. A CT scan showed that extensive hemorrhaging, which had caused the prime minister’s situation to deteriorate shortly before arriving at the hospital Wednesday night, had stopped.
Mor-Yosef refused to comment on the extent the bleeding might have damaged Sharon's brain. Persons close to the prime minister have reported that it is unlikely that he will be able to return to his position as Prime Minister of Israel.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at a cabinet meeting convened Thursday morning that he hoped the prime minister would be able to recover from surgery and return to work.
The bleeding in Sharon’s brain may have been caused by blood thinning medication he was taking after suffering a minor stroke three weeks ago.
Sharon was rushed to Hadassah hospital after feeling ill at his Negev ranch. According to early reports, it appeared that Sharon had suffered another minor stroke. Some reports said the prime minister was talking on the phone on his way to the hospital.
Upon arriving at the hospital at approximately 11:00 P.M., Sharon, who was already unconscious, was diagnosed with a cerebral hemorrhage. At about midnight, doctors began a seven hour operation to stop the bleeding.
At 4:45 A.M., another CT scan was performed to observe the results of the operation. When additional hemorrhaging was located, doctors resumed the operation, which ended Thursday morning.
Sharon, who will be 78 next month, was scheduled to undergo a catheterization to close a hole in his heart on Thursday. Doctors attributed Sharon’s recent stroke to complications from that hole, a birth defect which had previously gone undetected.
Prime Minister Sharon is not expected to fully recover from last night’s stroke.
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| | Today on IsraelNN.com: |  |  | Prime Minister Sharon in critical condition
|   | | |  | |  | House of Cards
I have just read an article about how the Sheikh Mohammed Hussein has accused the Israeli government of building a synagogue under the Al-Aksa mosque in order to cause the mosque to collapse. Israel, of course, has categorically denied this preposterous accusation, but that denial doesn't make me feel any better.
|  | | | Spielberg's Munich and Me - Part I
I didn't go to Munich, but I spent years training with the athletes who did go. We developed a close camaraderie, as people do at training camps where tensions and hopes are high. I knew each one of them personally. They were my friends.
|  | | | | |  | Vayigash: Reclaiming Jewish Leadership
Notwithstanding that both Reuven and Yosef are first-born sons, it is the fourth-born son, Yehudah, who, by parshat Vayigash, emerges as the uncontested leader.
|  | | | Vayigash: The Ingathering and Redemption
In this week's Haftarah, the prophet Yechezkel outlines the stages of the Geulah scenario that has given the Jewish People hope throughout the dark Galut.
| Rabbi Meyer Fendel for Aloh Naaleh | | | | | |  |
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