Israeli leader in hospital after suffering mild stroke

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spent the night in a hospital in Jerusalem after suffering a stroke Sunday. Doctors said he was lucid, easing concerns for his health and for the stability of Israeli politics.

Sharon began feeling ill while traveling in a motorcade toward Tel Aviv from his office in Jerusalem and was taken to Hadassah Hospital at 8 p.m. There were conflicting reports about his condition when he entered the hospital. Initial television reports indicated he had arrived unconscious, but doctors later said he had been alert.

Officials said Sharon was still in control of the government. "He asked to go home tonight, and doctors suggested he should stay," said Yisrael Maimon, the Cabinet secretary. "Initial checks showed he had a light stroke, and during checks his condition improved," said Yuval Weiss, the hospital's deputy director.

"He was always conscious and didn't need any surgical intervention. He is now talking with his family and members of his office. The prime minister will remain in hospital for further tests and surveillance."

Bolek Goldman, Sharon's private physician, said, "There is unequivocally no damage. He had anticoagulant treatment. He will be in the hospital a few days."

Sharon's sudden hospitalization threw Israel's political world into fresh uncertainty. Last month, Sharon bolted from the Likud Party he helped found and created a new group, called Kadima, which means "forward" in Hebrew. Kadima quickly attracted politicians from Likud and the Labor Party, including former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who left Labor after being ousted from its leadership.

Kadima instantly became the favorite to dominate parliamentary elections scheduled for March. Campaign billboards with Sharon's portrait dot Israeli roads.

Sharon, who is 77 and seriously overweight, telephoned his son, Gilad, when he began to feel unwell, Israeli television reported. Gilad advised him to rush to Hadassah, the main hospital in the Jerusalem area.

As word of Sharon's hospitalization spread, there were reports of celebratory gunfire in Gaza, but the West Bank was quiet. Palestinian Authority officials called Jerusalem to check on the prime minister's health and wish him a speedy recovery, Israeli officials said.