King Abdullah offers generous gift (Archive Photo)
Sharon faces horse dilemma
Jordan’s King Abdullah wants to give prime minister Arabian horse; law prevents Sharon from accepting gift
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is facing a biting dilemma these days, after Jordan’s King Abdullah offered him an unusual gift - an Arabian horse belonging to the Hashemite royal house.
The prime minister would have been delighted to accept the generous gift and bring the horse to his Sycamore Ranch residence, but the local Gifts Law prevents him from doing so.
According to the law, every gift received by the prime minister must be recorded and placed at the basement of the Prime Minister’s Office.
“However, the gift room has no grass,” Sharon told Likud activists during a meeting Thursday. “What are we to do? I don’t want to abuse the horse.”
About a month and a half ago, The Jordanians again turned to Sharon’s office and told him the horse would be ready for delivery the next day.
“Again, we informed the Jordanians we have a problem and haven’t been able to resolve it yet,” Sharon said. “We don’t want to create a diplomatic row here.”
However, the saga was not over yet.
'The horse is waiting for you'
Several days ago, Sharon’s daughter-in-law gave an exclusive interview to newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. One of the photos accompanying the interview showed Inbal Sharon feeding horses at the Sycamore Ranch.
The Jordanians read the interview, saw the picture, and figured the time was right for the horse to be sent after all.
“The horse is waiting for you. What should we do with it?” a Jordanian official inquired in a call to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Officials here are currently examining the possibility of accepting the horse and transfer it to the custody of a guardian.
“I hope we resolve the problem eventually so we do not create a diplomatic incident,” Sharon said.
