This article is very telling of a strange pathology in Israel. They tend to believe in "kings" and bestow paternal powers over their leaders. It is all very strange because Israelis are otherwise sophisticated, except politically. They anoint a leader and then fail to hold them accountable no matter how depraved and corrupt they become. That is one of the reasons why Israelis keep voting in people they KNOW are corrupt. They just don't care. All they want is someone to anoint. Very sick.

They are sharon's children. Too bad for them he was unmarried when they were born.

Normal people can't understand these Israelis. I am suddenly quite proud that neither I nor anyone in my family has every made aliya (not that one can "ascend" down). I know your son is over there - I intend no offense.

The Sharon family can know declare Ariel dead and pull the plug. Condi Rice will allow this family decision to take place as it is no longer a political decision. Sharon can now Kadima into the after life.

Kadima: laderekh Sharon...

bizarre oxymoron. He bashes the children's brains in, breaks their limbs and goes to say thanks? Sick unbound herts of the arelim.

The man is comatose but breathes on his own - he's not dead Why don't you leave this with respect to his family and possibly his own will he most likely had drawn up

Now Olmert cant sit on Pops lap Sharon. What does he have?

Shalom SK # 3- Actually my chayil boded came home (thank heavens) right before the horrific expulsion. HOWEVER, my younger son plans on aliyah at the end of 2007 upon graduating MIT. I suspect he will be quite appalled if Olmert starts destroying Judea & Samaria & will have plenty to reconsider. I am putting my apt search in Israel on hold too. Who in their right (no pun intended) mind would want to buy a home now in Israel, while the main ! platform of the regime is to destroy its heartland? I will even have to hold my nose just staying in hotels there now. My checkbook is also closing up for now if you get my drift. By the way, my son was in Kfar Maimon & Ofakim ( while studying for the summer there)when the stormtroopers put them behind barbed wire. In addition, he was thrown off a bus going to a protest due to being "ideologically dangerous". All of this should give him plenty of pause. Nonetheless he is always an optimist & he STILL hopes for the best. Thanks for your great posts and support.

adina, the 2006 Israeli elections are over. you don't like the result. we get your point. get over it. if you close your heart, your mind and your wallet to Israel, where we elect our own leaders, just because you don't like who runs our show, well then frankly, for all your talk about loving Israel, then at best you are a fair-weather fan, and at worst you actually hate Israel. Thank you for clarifying your views. We do not need more wannabes or Israel-haters in Israel. We are all stocked up on that sort of lunacy. Good riddance to you. Peace be upon Israel, T.H.

TH, your complaint that Adina is a "fair-weather fan" suggests that you've lived so long with the Arabs you've begun to think like one of them. A fair-weather friend is someone who cuts out when an act of God occurs (e.g. bad weather). But the election outcome was an act of the Israeli public, not an act of God. Grown-ups do not expect to get bailed out of the problems they repeatedly cause themselves. Incidentally, a Jewish state should not require charity from abroad. If you want to vote in socialists, accept the consequences. And, if you want to show your contempt for those who take Jewish values seriously, by, for example, expelling Jews from Hevron, do not expect those who oppose such things to pay the tab. Adina, what I do is limit my contributions to groups like Manhigut Yehudit and Women in Green.