With Sharon kept in coma, Israelis worry about future

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was in stable condition this morning in a medically induced coma to prevent further damage from a massive stroke. Doctors said he could be brought out slowly during the weekend, allowing a better assessment of his condition.

Sharon’s cranial pressure was steady, meaning there is no need to drain fluid from his brain, Hadassah Hospital Director Shlomo Mor-Yosef said today.

On Thursday, Sharon’s deputy, Ehud Olmert, tried to convey a sense of stability while serving as acting prime minister, but Sharon’s dramatic downturn left Israelis fearful.

The nation’s top rabbis called on Israelis to rush to pray for the 77-year-old ex-general, whom many saw as the best hope for peace with the Palestinians.

Mor-Yosef sought to quash widespread rumors that Sharon was brain-dead. Sharon’s pupils were responding to light, “which means the brain is functioning,” he said.

However, other neurosurgeons not involved in the treatment said a full recovery was unlikely. Sharon aides said they assume he won’t return to work.