With reports this week that Israeli Prime Minister Sharon showed some improvement in his condition, we, like others around the world, felt a flutter of hope. Might he possibly recover?
If anyone could come back from a cerebral hemorrhage, it would be Ariel Sharon. The man seemed to be smelted from iron, exerting his will on Israeli history ever since the War of Independence. It is hard to imagine the geopolitical scene without him. Even his most implacable foes acknowledge this.
Yet, sadly, we must now adjust to the reality of a Middle East without Sharon’s outsized presence. While it appears he will survive, doctors have made clear he will no longer be able to serve as prime minister.
The Sharon era is over.
So, as we say our prayers for Arik, we also look ahead. The Israeli election is set for March, with Benjamin Netanyahu and Amir Peretz the standard bearers for Likud and Labor, respectively, and acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert jockeying for position within Kadima.
At the same time, Palestinian elections go forward later this month, with one possible result being a politically stronger Hamas.
Change is coming. Which is why Israelis and Palestinians feel the absence of Sharon so keenly. No other leader in the region could match his political muscle or charisma. It took a personality like his to make things happen.
In recent years, some academics have posited the “great man” theory, which states that heroes have the single greatest impact on history. Think Lincoln during the Civil War, Roosevelt and Churchill during World War II, Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights era.
Sharon fits in perfectly with the “great man” theory. As one of Israel’s most daring generals, he made his mark on each of the country’s wars since 1948. He surely had lapses of judgment. He surely went too far in some of his military encounters. His record is not immune to criticism.
But his devotion to Israel is unassailable. He confounded his enemies, frustrated his rivals and ultimately earned the respect of nearly all. History will likely remember him best for the Gaza disengagement last summer, a move that proved it sometimes takes a warrior to make peace.
We will never know where Sharon was headed next with his newly formed Kadima Party. Its long-term survival without Sharon is uncertain.
But the Jewish people will always have Ariel Sharon as a model of steel-nerved steadfastness in times of war and peace. Now that he has so suddenly left the scene, he will be sorely missed.
Meanwhile, we wish him a speedy recovery.