Gilad Sharon: Disengagement was my idea

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been in a deep coma for nearly six years, after suffering a massive stroke that almost ended his life, but on Thursday, his son, Gilad Sharon, said in a telephone interview with the New York Times that "when he is awake, he looks at me and moves fingers when I ask him to.

In his forthcoming biography, titled “Sharon: The Life of a Leader,” due out on Tuesday, the former prime minister's son writes that his father, who was transferred to the family's ranch a year ago but taken back to the hospital shortly afterwards, “lies in bed, looking like the lord of the manor, sleeping tranquilly.

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"Large, strong, self assured. His cheeks are a healthy shade of red. When he’s awake, he looks out with a penetrating stare. He hasn’t lost a single pound; on the contrary, he’s gained some.”

Speaking about his father's political career, Sharon claims in the book that he was the one who came up with the idea to unilaterally withdraw from Gaza, saying it had become impossible to protect the settlers residing there.

'Not only subversive, but also a coward'

Sharon does not spare harsh words when referring to his father's long time rival Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that during his previous term as prime minister he had promised to appoint his father as Finance Minister, but then reneged.

"Netanyahu summoned my father to a meeting in his office. Standing at the entrance to the room and putting an end to the shortest meeting in the history of the prime minister’s office, my father said to Netanyahu, ‘A liar you were and a liar you have remained.’ ”

The Prime Minister's Office had denied this claim.

Gilad Sharon also slams Netanyahu for his inconsistent behavior during the vote on the disengagement, saying that he first objected the move and insisted on holding a referendum, but later caved in and voted in favor.

This was a true manifestation of Netanyahu’s character,” Sharon writes in his biography. “Not only was he subversive, but he was also a coward.”

Responding to these claims, a Prime Minister's Office spokesperson stated that “Gilad Sharon has a long history of being highly critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and these charges are neither new nor surprising.”

The spokesperson added that the vote referred to by Gilad Sharon was only procedural, and that in the actual vote Mr. Netanyahu voted against the disengagement and left the government.

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