Ariel Sharon is going to be slowly awakened over the next few hours. Here’s one of the posts that disappeared yesterday: a prayer from Ha’aretz.

Say a prayer for the prime minister.

Say a prayer for the man who could not be broken.

Say a prayer for our shattered present. Say a prayer for our shuttered common future.

Pray for the man who could not be stilled. Pray for the man who could not be swayed.

Say a prayer for the future only he knew.

Say a prayer for the people he has left behind. The Jewish People, the people he loved, at times despite himself, despite them. The people who could not bring themselves to love him.

Pray for those of us who once embraced him, and came to curse him.

Pray for those of us who once cursed him, and could not bring ourselves to forgive him.

Pray for those of us who once cursed him, and came to love him.

Pray for those who call themselves religious and see in this, the hand of God.

Pray for those who call themselves non-religious and need now to pray.

Pray for the leaders who, unable to replace him, will now succeed him.

Pray for a miracle. Pray for all of us. Pray that we may know to heal each other.

Pray for this land. That it may know the peace that he never will.

_____________________________

In response to many requests, the Prime Minister’s Hebrew name is Ariel Ben Shmuel v’Dvora

Conflicting views of his condition. Some are saying that we’re being too optimistic. (You can never be too optimistic; we are praying and hoping he’ll come out of his medically-induced coma as Ariel Sharon, and not a husk of what he used to be.) One report says he will survive, but never again be the Prime Minister.

In any case, they’re going to try to wake him up tomorrow.

On the political front, Shimon Peres is apparently going to stay with Kadima after all (so Omri can relax).

And in the strangest twist to the stroke, this article claims that even Hamas wants to postpone PA elections until after Israel has recovered from the Prime Minister’s stroke.

I find that one a little hard to believe, but then, I’m not a reporter talking to Hamas “militants” on the ground. I’ll just shrug my shoulders at that one and file it away for future reference.

Hamas is promising to continue its aim to destroy Israel should its candidates take part in the PA government.

During a campaign visit to families of people killed or taken prisoner in the past five years of conflict with Israel, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar was asked if the atmosphere were ripe for Hamas to form a government that would not deal with Israel, Hamas reported on its Web site.

“Yes. We are running for the Legislative Council to put an end to the vestiges of Oslo,” Zahar said, referring to the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians of the early 1990s.

What the AP did not quote:

Mahmoud al-Zahar told reporters that Hamas will never hold any kind of talks with Israel.

Asked about an EU statement that if Hamas is part of any future cabinet, all international fund will stop, he said, “We will get our own fund from Arab and Islamic countries.”

Funny how that got dropped out of all the AP wire service reports on what al-Zahar said.

Even funnier how the New York Times ignores the evidence and insists that Hamas will “moderate” once it has politicians in the PA.

Shyeah. Because an organization that states it will turn back Oslo, not negotiate with Israel, and continue suicide attacks, is definitely going to change all those things once it becomes an official political party in the PA.

It never ceases to astonish me how people can continue to come up with excuses for murderers. The evidence is all there, yet the morons continue to say that Hamas will “mature” and “moderate” its views.

No, it won’t. They’re telling you exactly what they will do. Try listening to their words for a change.

I had two posts up yesterday. They were not there this morning when I checked before I left for school. They’re still missing, and Hosting Matters said they didn’t restore my site from a backup.

I have no clue as to what happened. I’m going to repost one and backdate it.