Sharon still in coma, docs worried

Even if Sharon regains consciousness, it could be days before doctors can assess the impairment to his faculties. With his hospital stay expected to last months, Sharon is given little chance of returning to public life.

Meanwhile, Israel plunged back into politics as parties began holding primary elections to select candidates for a March 28 general election. Opinion polls continued to predict victory for Sharon’s centrist Kadima party.

In other political developments, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom handed in his resignation on Friday, opening the way for a reshuffle in Israel’s caretaker government.

Shalom was the last of four cabinet ministers from Likud to resign from the government upon the orders of leader Netanyahu, who will become Opposition leader until the election.

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, a former operative in the Mossad intelligence agency, is expected to be appointed foreign minister until the election, media reports said. She is considered likely to stay in the role if her Kadima party wins. —Reuters