Ariel Sharon
Ariel SharonOfficial Photo

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is occasionally awake and responds to speech, his son Gilad claimed Thursday in an interview with the New York Times. “He looks at me and moves fingers when I ask him to,” Gilad said, “I am sure he hears me.”

Gilad Sharon admitted that doctors said his father had no brain function after his 2006 stroke, but claimed that doctors were wrong and had later said as much.

Sharon’s interview was aimed at promoting his biography of his father’s life, which is to be released next week. The book is titled, “Sharon: The Life of a Leader.”

Gilad Sharon revealed some of the controversial claims made in the book, including his argument that he was the one who gave his father the idea for the 2005 “Disengagement” from Gaza. Then-PM Ariel Sharon’s announcement of Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria was considered out of character, based on his past strong support for Israeli communities in both regions.

The book also includes claims against current Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is accused of violating promises to former PM Sharon, and is termed a “coward.”

Sources close to Netanyahu said that Gilad Sharon, a member of the rival Kadima party, has long been critical of Netanyahu. They denied the veracity of his claims regarding the prime minister.