MIDDLE EAST: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was rushed to hospital last night in Jerusalem after suffering a minor stroke.
Hospital officials said Mr Sharon's life was not in danger and he was undergoing medical tests.
Mr Sharon is in the midst of a re-election battle after having bolted his Likud party last month and having set up a new centrist list, which currently holds a handsome lead in the opinion polls.
In a laconic statement, an official at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital said that Mr Sharon was "in stable condition . . . his condition is satisfactory."
Later, another official said the prime minister would be hospitalized overnight in the hospital's internal medicine ward. Asked when the prime minister would be released, the official replied soon, but did not give an exact date.
He also said Mr Sharon was talking to his family. There were reports the prime minister was a little confused when he arrived at the hospital but that he had no problems moving his arms and legs. He was undergoing tests and was being treated by neurologists last night.
Mr Sharon was on his way out of Jerusalem in his official vehicle, having just completed a meeting that focused on poverty, and was on the phone to his son Gilad when he suddenly felt ill.
His driver did a U-turn on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and headed for the hospital.
The 77-year-old ex-general, who is very overweight, was under intense pressure for much of the year as he worked to push through his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, which was implemented in August. He has not, however, displayed any signs of ill-health.
Mr Sharon, who helped set up the Likud 30 years ago, left the party last month after a bitter struggle with party lawmakers who opposed his Gaza withdrawal.
Opinion polls give his new Kadima (Forward) party between 35-39 mandates in the 120-seat parliament - way ahead of the second-placed Labour Party with 22-24 seats in the polls - which would be sufficient to hand him a third term as prime minister.
Kadima's fortunes are almost exclusively tied to those of Mr Sharon, whose popularity ratings have been high, especially in the wake of the Gaza pullout. If Mr Sharon is unable to function fully, he will be replaced by his deputy, Ehud Olmert, who left the Likud along with him to set up Kadima.