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Future
Of Israeli Politics Uncertain Post Sharon |
Posted:
1.11.06
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The future of Israeli politics and the Middle East peace process
was thrown into chaos last week when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon, the larger-than-life leader of the Jewish state, suffered
a major stroke.
Printer-friendly versions: PDF
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 After
undergoing emergency brain surgery Jan. 5, the extent of the 77-year-old
prime minister's brain damage is still unknown, but he is not
expected to return to office.
"He will not continue to be prime minister, but maybe he
will be able to understand and to speak," said Dr. José
Cohen, Sharon's chief surgeon, the New York Times reported.
Deputy Premier Ehud Olmert is acting prime minister until elections
March 28.
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Sharon's
impact |
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The charismatic and forceful former military leader has been
prime minister since 2001, following a controversial political
career spanning almost 20 years.
As minister of agriculture (1977-81), Sharon supported the policy
of Jewish settlements -- military-protected "towns"
-- in the Arab territories of the West Bank and Gaza, earning
him the nickname "the Bulldozer."
In 1999 following an election to Israel's parliament, the Knesset,
Sharon served as chairman of the conservative Likud Party, which
stressed security over political engagement with the Palestinians.
In February 2005, Sharon made the surprising decision to pull
the Jewish settlers out of 21 Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements,
a plan that was initiated in August with little violence.
 "Sharon,
coming to the end of his life, coming to the end of his political
time, wants to, I think, fulfill what he sees as his historic
responsibility to firm up, if not finalize, the borders of the
Jewish state of Israel," Martin Indyk, who dealt with Sharon
frequently while serving as U.S. ambassador to Israel, told the
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Sharon's critics contend
that he withdrew from Gaza in order to justify Israel's refusal
to engage with the Palestinians on the tougher issues such as
the future of Jerusalem and the West Bank.
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Who might
replace Sharon? |
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Who might replace Ariel Sharon is a question of great debate
in Israel right now.
In November, Sharon left the Likud Party he founded to start
a more centrist party, Kadima -- a noun in Hebrew meaning "forward
or progress."
"The Likud in its present configuration cannot lead the
nation to its national goals," Sharon said when he announced
his decision.
One potential successor is the current acting prime minister,
Ehud Olmert, once the former mayor of Jerusalem and member of
Kadima.
If elected, Olmert is expected to continue Sharon's policies.
According to a poll conducted last week by the Market Watch Institute,
two-thirds of Israelis favor this approach, the Associated Press
reported.
 But
Olmert lacks Sharon's charisma and military background and some
regional experts believe that he does not have the political support
to overcome strong opposition to further withdrawals from Palestinian
areas.
Another possible outcome is that former Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, now the leader of Likud, could return to power.
Netanyahu quit the government in protest of Sharon's withdrawal
of Jewish settlements.
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International
Reaction |
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Many in the Arab world and the international community hope that
a post-Sharon Israel will begin to negotiate peace with the Palestinians
as equal partners again.
"It is vitally important for any new leader of Israel to
carry out a program of ending the occupation of the West Bank,
leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state with full
regional recognition of Israel within secure borders," Terje
Roed-Larsen, the former United Nations envoy for the Middle East,
told the New York Times.
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Palestinian
elections |
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Palestinian elections, set for Jan. 25, also could impact the
future of relations in the Middle East. 
Many in the region believe that the extremist group Hamas, which
advocates Israel's destruction, could come out on top.
"If extremists win power in the Palestinian elections, then
that will help the Israeli extremists. Palestinian terrorist attacks
have always had a large effect on the Knesset elections,"
Avi Primor, the former Israeli ambassador to Germany, told Salon.
--
Compiled by Annie Schleicher for NewsHour Extra
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