Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma since 2006, is suffering from vital organ failure and is fighting for his life.
Close relatives gathered around his bedside at Tel Aviv’s Tel Hashomer hospital after doctors described his condition as critical, saying he was suffering from a malfunction of several organs, including the liver.
Tel Hashomer’s director, Zeev Rotstein, said that while Mr Sharon’s condition had “seen ups and downs” in the past 2½ months, his life was now in danger.
“We define his condition as critical. His life is definitely in danger but as we know, Arik is a powerful man and has survived difficult situations during his time in our hospital,” Prof Rotstein said.
“I’m no prophet, but the feeling among the doctors treating him and the family by his side . . . is that he has taken a turn for the worse.”
He added that Mr Sharon (85) was not receiving dialysis treatment, as it was not recommended for a patient with multiple organ failure
Controversial
One of Israel's most controversial figures, Mr Sharon, known by his nickname Arik, rose to prominence as a top general, leading the daring crossing of the Suez Canal by Israeli paratroopers in the Yom Kippur Arab-Israeli war in 1973, trapping part of the Egyptian army, in an act that turned the tide of the war.
As a politician he was known as “the bulldozer”, a man who cut corners but got the job done.
He was instrumental in the right wing's first electoral triumph in Israel in 1977 and was the architect of the Jewish settlement drive in the West Bank and Gaza.
As defence minister he masterminded Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon but was forced to step down after a commission of inquiry found him responsible for failing to prevent the massacre by Christian militiamen of Palestinian refugees in two Beirut refugee camps.
Hate figure
He was elected prime minister in 2001 but became a hate figure on the right when he ordered a unilateral withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
He left the Likud party soon after and established the centrist Kadima, but suffered a severe stroke in January 2006. He has been in a vegetative state ever since, breathing on his own but fed intravenously.
In a separate development, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed doubts over the Palestinian commitment to peace as US secretary of state John Kerry embarked on another round of shuttle diplomacy ahead of presenting a framework agreement that will address the core issues of the conflict.
“There is growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace,” Mr Netanyahu said at the start of their talks in Jerusalem. “The Palestinians need to be prepared to truly end the conflict.”
Mr Kerry, who meets today with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, said the time is close for the leaders to make difficult decisions but he remained upbeat, saying this was not a "mission impossible".
