Sharon to undergo heart procedure
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon soon will undergo a medical procedure meant to mend a tiny hole in his heart that might have contributed to his minor stroke earlier this month, his doctors announced Monday.
The doctors described the planned catheterization procedure as the most common method of treating such a heart condition, which they said was a birth defect of a type that occurs in as many as 25 percent of the population.
No date was set for the procedure, but doctors said it would take place within the next three weeks.
The health of the prime minister, who will turn 78 in February, has been under intense scrutiny in Israel since he was hospitalized Dec. 18 following what doctors described as a small stroke that caused no lasting neurological damage. He was released after two days, and aides say he has resumed his normal work schedule.
Sharon is the head of a new centrist political party which is expected to win general elections scheduled for March 28. But the party, called Kadima, or Forward, is built largely around Sharon’s immense personal popularity among the Israeli electorate, and polls have suggested it might falter if anyone else were at the helm.
If Sharon were to be incapacitated during the medical procedure or for any other reason, his duties would be taken over by Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who followed the Israeli leader to Kadima after Sharon abandoned his conservative Likud Party.
Commentators have expressed doubts that Olmert, an important behind-the-scenes confidant of Sharon, but one whose political persona is somewhat colorless, could muster a following like that of the prime minister. Sharon, largely by dint of sheer personal authority derived in part from his long military career, overcame furious right-wing opposition to carry out Israel’s withdrawal over the summer from the Gaza Strip.
The overweight Sharon was put on a strict diet following the stroke, and doctors said he has since lost about 5 pounds. They said the prime minister, who stands about 5-foot-7, now weighs 255 pounds, although Israeli media reports have said he appears considerably heavier.
Despite his girth, Sharon’s blood pressure and cholesterol levels are normal, the medical team said.
Even though the Israeli elections are three months away, events between now and then are highly colored by the campaign mode in which the country finds itself. Although the platform of Sharon’s party envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state, many Palestinians fear the prime minister will try effectively to draw the borders prior to any real negotiations by seeking to maintain a grip on the largest Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank.
Israel has agreed to a U.S.-backed peace plan that calls for a freeze on Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank, but new construction continues. Israel’s Housing Ministry on Monday issued construction tenders for 228 new settlement homes in the settlements of Beitar Illit and Efrat, drawing angry criticism from peace groups.
Israel said the building plans dated back years, but Palestinians objected heatedly. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said such construction “undermines the peace process.”
More than two months after completing its withdrawal from Gaza, Israel is also frustrated over continuing rocket fire by Palestinian militants in the seaside territory. On Monday, the army said it fired two artillery barrages into Gaza in response to rocket fire. No casualties were reported.