Israel Moves On: Ariel Sharon Era Declared Over

April 11, 2006 — -- The political era of Ariel Sharon was officially declared dead today, even though the man himself still clings to life in his Jerusalem hospital bed.

In accordance with Israeli law, Sharon was declared permanently incapacitated today, confirming what many Israelis have believed for some time: that he will never return to public life. The 78-year-old former prime minister remains in a coma following a massive stroke on Jan. 4.

The move goes into effect on Friday, but the decision was made today by Israel's Cabinet, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It clears the way for acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to assume more fully the duties of the office of prime minister as he continues to build a new coalition government following last month's election.

Symbolic Move

Today's move is purely symbolic and adds nothing to the power already enjoyed by Olmert. It will bring home to many Israelis the idea that Sharon has finally left the political stage.

Plans are being made for Sharon to be physically moved from his Jerusalem hospital to a facility for the long-term care of coma patients. The creation of a special room at his ranch home in the south of Israel has not been ruled out.

Sharon became prime minister of Israel in 2001 during the opening salvos of the second Palestinian uprising. He won two elections and reaffirmed his reputation as a ruthless political and military leader. At a time when Israelis were being targeted by Palestinian suicide bombers, his warrior track record and reputation as a security hard-liner appealed to the Israeli voter.

He didn't disappoint, and unleashed the Israeli military in a concerted and bloody campaign against Palestinian militants and against his arch rival, Yasser Arafat.

Political Legacy

Toward the end of his career, he made a radical turn, leading Israeli settlers and soldiers out of the Gaza Strip in the so-called Disengagement. In doing so, he set an important strategic precedent and broke apart the political party he had founded in the 1970s.

On the eve of his stroke, he left the Likud and formed a new party, Kadima, promising further territorial withdrawals and settlement closures in the West Bank. This is the vision that has been inherited by his political heir Ehud Olmert, and the one for which the Israeli electorate voted last month.

It will probably form the core of Sharon's political legacy and may even bury the troubling ghosts of his early military career.