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Sharon's stroke prompts questions for IsraelDoctors stop bleeding, reduce pressure, hospital says
 Ariel Sharon's grave illness has left Israeli political leaders grappling with what could be the end of an era. RELATEDQUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSJERUSALEM (CNN) -- Unconscious and clinging to life, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was in stable condition Saturday after a third round of brain surgery to treat a major stroke suffered on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Israel contemplated life without a man who had directly or indirectly guided its policy for decades. Even the former general's top aide, Ra'anan Gissin, sounded less than optimistic when asked about Sharon's future, saying, "We don't know what condition he will be coming out of it, if he does." Gissin was quick to point out that if Sharon can no longer lead the country, Israel will persevere. "In Israel, when you're in a crisis, a major crisis -- whether it's war or critical decisions have to be made -- the whole tribe gathers around the bonfire," Gissin said. "This time, maybe the leader is gone, but his spirit is alive." Saturday, Sharon underwent another brain scan, part of a planned procedure. A hospital briefing was scheduled for 11 a.m. ET, or 6 p.m. in Israel -- after sundown, marking the end of the Jewish Sabbath. Sharon, 77, was rushed into surgery Friday morning after a brain scan showed new bleeding and increased pressure. After four hours of surgery, the pressure returned to normal and there was "significant improvement" in the appearance of his brain, said Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Hadassah University Hospital Ein Karmen. (Watch as doctors fight to save Sharon 1:58) Friday morning's four-hour surgery followed two earlier surgeries -- of six and three hours -- aimed at stopping the bleeding in his brain after Sharon suffered a massive stroke Wednesday, the day before he was scheduled to undergo surgery for a small hole in his heart. Doctors found the birth defect in his heart while treating him for a minor stroke December 18. Sharon was still in a drug-induced coma and breathing with the aid of a respirator Saturday, making it impossible to determine if he will recover or regain the capacity to function as Israeli leader, Mor-Yosef said. "We do not have any assessment at this point," he said. "We can only say, gradually, we will wake him up." Medical experts are saying it's unlikely that Sharon will be able to resume his position of leadership after so many surgeries. His stroke comes as a politically sensitive time for his newly formed Kadima Party, which faces its first national election in three months. Sharon, who in November abandoned the dominant right-wing Likud bloc he helped found in 1973, had hoped to build support for his contentious proposal to turn over Gaza and parts of the West Bank to Palestinian control. He also hoped to dismantle some Israeli settlements. Faced with strong opposition from his Likud counterparts, Sharon left the bloc and formed the centrist Kadima party, hoping to sow already fertile political ground. By moving toward the center of the political spectrum, Sharon had planned to complete the West Bank withdrawal and conduct final negotiations with the Palestinians based on the "road map" for peace being pushed by the White House. Before his most recent stroke, polls showed that Kadima would dominate the elections and win the most seats in the Knesset, making it likely Sharon would remain prime minister. Without Sharon, Kadima is still poised to win the most seats in parliament, according to a poll conducted by the Israeli media. But political observers say Kadima will need to swiftly anoint a new leader to prevent Likud and the center-left Labor Party from gaining ground. Ehud Olmert, the deputy prime minister who joined Sharon in leaving Likud, was named acting prime minister after Sharon's stroke. He will hold that position until the March 28 election, although it remains unclear whether Kadima members will pick him as their permanent leader. (Olmert profile) The political ramifications of Sharon's illness certainly haven't escaped the United States. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced she was canceling a six-day trip to Indonesia and Australia because of his uncertain condition. "She decided that because of the situation in the Middle East it was the right decision to stay here in Washington," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. Rice spoke with Olmert on Friday morning, but McCormack said he wouldn't discuss their conversation, saying only that Rice expressed "solidarity." "Given the physical distances as well as time differences with potential travel to Indonesia and Australia," McCormack said, "she just thought that it was the right decision to be here in Washington right now." 
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