The Israeli PM, Ariel Sharon, has apparently had a small stroke. He is lucky and will live to see another day, however the whole episode is a stark reminder of just how dependent the entire Israeli political system is on just one man.
It is no secret that Sharon is not in the best of health -- the only surprise in tonight's incident was that he had a stroke, not a heart attack. Unless Mr Sharon drops about half his body weight (and even then, considering his age...), the fact is that he is extremely likely to suffer from other, perhaps dehabilitating illnesses while he is still in office. What will happen then? There are simply no replacements of the same stature currently on the scene. Kadima will be finished. If Sharon dropped dead tomorrow (G-d forbid), chaos would ensue, with no truly popular or authoritative replacement, and the country would be left in a signficantly weaker position. Who is the center-right going to get to replace him?
I have no idea who/what the solution is. But this is a scenario which is becoming increasingly probable with each passing month.
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