JERUSALEM -- The shocking news of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon being rushed again to the hospital, this time not only with a stroke but also with severe cerebral hemorrhage, left me with a double sense of déja vu.
Twenty years ago my father was taken to Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem in the same critical condition, and just 10 years ago, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was my boss, was killed by an assassin. Sharon is recovering from the operation. However, I have my fears. Maybe because my father was in a coma for weeks, and then he died.
My recollections surely correspond with the attitudes of many Israelis who now, with Sharon no longer the infallible lion he was just days ago, must feel deprived of a father figure. Indeed, as in the case of Rabin, the sudden absence of the leader left Israel in a very difficult situation. Both Rabin and Sharon were (and Sharon, I hope, still is) famous generals who satisfied the primordial quest of the Israelis for security.
Regardless of political affiliation, people in this besieged country felt that they could sleep well with Rabin at the helm of state in the '90s as they did with Sharon. The assassination of Rabin shattered not only the self confidence of the public but also its trust in Israeli democracy. It took a long and painful process to recover. Now comes the case of Sharon -- who, in the last five years, has led the country with a firm and unwavering hand -- and one wonders whether we can again pull ourselves together and carry on with arduous the task of maintaining a safe, Jewish and democratic state in such a volatile region.
Indeed, Sharon emerged recently as a leader in the caliber of David Ben Gurion, who founded the state of Israel, and Menachem Begin, who signed the peace treaty with Egypt. By pulling Israel out of Gaza, Sharon showed the highest level of leadership. While not being the first to admit that Israel shouldn't be ruling millions of Palestinians, he was nevertheless the one who actually went on to dismantle Jewish settlements -- something that no previous prime minister dared to do. He gave Israelis a sense of comfort and hope. Can acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rise to the historic occasion and take Sharon's place? I think he can.
Olmert is a very capable and experienced politician. As a mayor of Jerusalem he showed a great deal of leadership in running perhaps the most complicated city in the world. He shares Sharon's conviction that Israel should withdraw to more reasonable borders, and, in general, he has shown courage in expressing daring ideas before they became commonplace.
True, Olmert lacks Sharon's military appeal, but he has around him Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and former head of Israel's security services Avi Dichter. In the last five years, both men were in the forefront of battling the Palestinian intifada. Add to this the eternal Shimon Peres, with his experience and statesmanship, and Justice Minister Zipi Livni, who is today one of the most popular politicians in Israel -- and you get a very serious team.
In this crucial hour, when the trusted patriarch is removed from the scene, Israelis are in turmoil. Yet this vibrant, life-affirming society has both the will power to carry on and the people who can lead it in the direction implied in the name of Sharon's party: Kadima (Forward).
This article was first published in The Miami Herald on January 6, 2006. http://www.miami.com
The opinions expressed herein are the author's own personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of the Israel Democracy Institute.