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| By Israel Insider staff and partners December 18, 2005 |
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PM Ariel Sharon, 77, was rushed to the trauma room at Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem after he felt unwell and lost consciousness for a "few moments." Media quoted medical sources as diagnosing that he suffered a minor CVA or "stroke."
He has since recovered consciousness and Channel Ten reported that his life is not in danger. Channel Two reported that he appeared "confused." He was checked with a MRI machine and other tests for neurological damage.
The Prime Minister's Office said that the decision to hospitalize the premier was taken after he said he did not feel well after meeting with Vice PM Shimon Peres.
According to Channel 1, the prime minister felt unwell while on the way to Tel Aviv on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. He told his son Gilad over the phone of his feelings of illness, and Gilad ordered his security detail to make a U-turn and take him directly to the Hadassah hospital in Ein Kerem in western Jerusalem.
Channel Two reporter Moshe Nussbaum reported that he lost consciousness in his limousine enroute to the hospital.
MK Omri Sharon, another son of the prime minister, arrived at the hospital by 8:30 p.m.
Cabinet secretary Yisrael Maimon, along with representatives of foreign dignitaries, were also arriving at the scene.
Doctors described the initial diagnosis as a minor Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) or stroke. Even in the best case, Sharon would need to be hospitalized for at least several days, and his re-election campaign may be in jeopardy.
In the event Sharon is incapacitated, Deputy PM Ehud Olmert would take over temporarily. There are reports that Olmert was appointed Acting PM as of 9 pm, but these reports were later denied by the Prime Minister's aides, who said the decision was premature.
The area around the hospital was closed off to the public by the defense establishment prior to Sharon's arrival, television reports said. There is a massive security present turning the hospital into an armed camp.
ynet reported that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired celebration shots upon hearing the news of Sharon's hospitalization. A member of the Popular Resistance Committees speculated that Sharon fell ill because of the stressed caused by the latest wage of Qassam rockets over the last few days. "God answered our prayers and didn't disappoint us," the official said.
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