Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s medical condition deteriorated over the weekend. Sharon has been in critical condition since last week.
Doctors confirmed Thursday that Sharon’s organs were failing. They also confirmed that doctors would not attempt to save the former Prime Minister’s life with dialysis, saying, “because the problem is with several organs, there is no point.”
Some medical sources stated that the prognosis meant Sharon had just days to live. However, a senior member of the medical team who spoke to the news site Walla! said the former prime minister “could stay alive like this for a long time.” The Sharon family’s choices regarding his care will have a significant impact, he said.
Sharon’s doctors are expected to release a follow-up statement regarding his condition late Sunday morning.
Saturday marked eight years since Sharon slipped into a coma following a stroke. The stroke came during his second consecutive term as Prime Minister.
Sharon, now 85, served as Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006. During that time he launched a major counter-terror operation in Judea and Samaria (Shomron) to counter a wave of suicide bombings in Israeli cities, and initiated and pushed through the Disengagement plan, which included the forced removal of thousands of Israelis from legal communities in Gaza and northern Samaria.