Jerusalem – Israeli doctors said Monday that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had suffered no lasting damage from a minor stroke and probably would be released from the hospital today.
Physicians said the stroke Sunday appeared to be an isolated incident and did not signal any broader health problems for the 77-year-old Israeli leader. A blood clot blocked vessels in the brain but quickly dissipated, said Tamir Ben-Hur, head of neurology at Hadassah University Medical Center.
Ben-Hur said the stroke briefly impaired Sharon’s speech but did not leave him paralyzed, unconscious or dazed.
Sharon was rushed to the medical center Sunday after complaining that he didn’t feel well. Doctors said he never lost consciousness, and aides reported that he soon was making jokes and receiving a military briefing.
Sharon was upbeat and active Monday, according to spokesman Raanan Gissin. “He was moving around the room, and instead of lying in bed he was sitting in a chair. He wanted to get out of there,” Gissin said.
News of the prime minister’s quick recovery came as his former Likud Party was selecting a new leader to face Sharon in national elections scheduled for March.
An exit poll by Israel Radio showed former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu winning the primary with 47 percent of the vote. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom trailed with 32 percent and two other candidates were farther back, according to the poll.
Analyst Hanan Kristal said the poll results, if they held up in the final tally, showed the party was veering to the right since Sharon left Likud last month with more than a dozen Cabinet ministers and parliament members.
Sharon’s sudden hospitalization prompted some commentators to reflect on his role as an elderly national protector, with no obvious successor.
Many voters might reconsider voting for Sharon over concerns about his health. That could hurt his new Kadima party, which has done well in polls but is built almost entirely around him.
