Israel To Rule Sharon 'Incapacitated'

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for three months, will be declared permanently incapacitated on Tuesday, a decision that will signal the official end of his reign, the Justice Ministry said Sunday.

Sharon, 78, was declared temporarily incapacitated after he lapsed into a coma following a massive stroke Jan. 4. Olmert stepped in for him immediately as acting prime minister, but under Israeli law he can only serve in that capacity for up to 100 days before an official replacement for Sharon has to be named.

That deadline expires Friday, but because the weeklong Jewish Passover holiday begins Wednesday the declaration of permanent incapacitation has been moved up to Tuesday, with the proviso that it not take effect if Sharon's condition improves before the deadline, ministry spokesman Jacob Galanti said.

Olmert, who won March 28 elections, is expected to be named Sharon's official replacement as he continues negotiating with smaller parties to form a governing coalition.

Officials at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where Sharon is being treated, said Sunday that discussions were still under way on whether to move him to a long-term care facility. Experts say his chances of recovery are extremely slim, given the gravity of his stroke and his persistent coma.

Hospital spokesman Ron Krumer defined Sharon's condition as "serious, but stable," a reflection that his life is not in immediate danger.

Last week, doctors removed the piece of skull to operate on Sharon's brain after the stroke. The surgery was the eighth operation on the prime minister since he fell ill.

Meanwhile, Israel's Cabinet is set to cut all ties with the Palestinian Authority, ruling out the possibility that Israel will hold peace talks with the moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to bypass the new Hamas-led government, an official said Sunday.

Israel's security Cabinet, a small group of top government officials, made the recommendations to the full Cabinet, which is expected to discuss and approve the measures at its meeting next Sunday, said Asaf Shariv, the government spokesman.

Israel already cut most ties with the Palestinian Authority after the Hamas-dominated parliament was inaugurated in February. It also has halted the transfer of $55 million in monthly tax revenues it collects for the Palestinians, dealing a debilitating blow to the cash-strapped Palestinian government.

Next week's Cabinet vote would be a symbolic stamp of approval to the steps Israel implemented after Hamas' January election victory.

The Cabinet measures will include boycotting any foreign diplomats who meet with Hamas officials and cutting all ties with the Palestinian Authority, which is a "hostile entity," Shariv said.

The recommendations, published on the prime minister's Web site, state that "the Palestinian Authority is one authority that does not have two heads."

Shariv said that Olmert could still talk to Abbas, but there will be no "Hamas bypass." Peace talks will not be held with Abbas so long as Hamas does not recognize Israel, accept past peace deals and renounce violence, he said.

In a similar statement, Olmert was quoted in an interview with The Washington Post published Sunday as saying he would not hold peace talks with Abbas so long as Hamas does not accept Israel's demands, which are backed by the United States and the international community. Hamas has rejected the demands.