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Sharon released from hospital after stroke
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-20 22:07
Sharon, 77, was rushed to Hadassah on Sunday evening and had not been seen or
heard publicly since then. Doctors said the stroke briefly affected his speech,
but did not impair his memory or cognitive abilities, or do permanent damage.
Hadassah official Shlomo Mor-Yosef said there were no major restrictions on
the prime minister's activities.
"He obviously could lose some weight, like many people," Mor-Yosef said. "He
should scale back his activities. We recommend that he gradually resume his
regular schedule over the next few days."
New polls Tuesday showed Sharon ¡ª Israel's most popular politician ¡ª gaining
ground after his stroke, with Likud still languishing. If poll trends hold,
Kadima would be able to form a moderate coalition following the March balloting,
and a Netanyahu-led Likud would head a right-wing opposition.
Sharon's exit from the Likud left behind a small group of lawmakers, like
Netanyahu, who opposed his Gaza Strip withdrawal, and object to further
territorial concessions to the Palestinians.
Netanyahu, a former prime minister, captured 44 percent of the vote in
Monday's Likud primary versus 33 percent for Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. Two
hardline candidates divided the remaining votes.
Netanyahu, who quit Sharon's Cabinet in protest just before the Gaza pullout,
told cheering backers that his victory was the beginning of "returning the Likud
to power."
"The country is facing difficult challenges, and I don't think it's headed in
the right direction," Netanyahu said in a crowded room in party headquarters.
"First of all, we must bring the Likud back to itself and then to the leadership
of the country. It begins now, up, up and up."
Netanyahu, 56, a forceful public speaker who served as prime minister from
1996-1999, is Sharon's bitterest rival and could be a formidable candidate,
leading an attack on Sharon from the hawkish side, while the dovish Labor Party
chips away at the other flank.
The Likud primary fills out a picture of Israel's political scene, which was
scrambled by Sharon's decision to leave Likud four weeks ago and labor union
chief Amir Peretz's surprise win of the Labor Party chairmanship, beating
veteran Israeli statesman Shimon Peres.
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