JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's attorney has taken charge of Israel's foreign policy in the wake of his client's
massive stroke.
Dov Weisglass, Sharon's attorney and adviser, has been maintaining
Israel's contacts with the United States and other Western powers,
particularly in the area of Palestinian relations.
Weisglass has also
convened Israeli military and security chiefs to plan for Palestinian
legislative elections on Jan. 25, Middle East Newsline reported.
Weisglass's influence has been heavily criticized by the parliamentary
opposition. "It can't be that Weisglass is running the country," Knesset Speaker
Reuven Rivlin, a critic of Sharon, said.
Officials acknowledge that Weisglass has been virtually the only Israeli
in daily contact with senior State Department and White House officials.
They said Weisglass has eclipsed Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in relations
with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other senior
U.S. officials.
"The Bush administration has very little to do with Shalom on the
informal level," an official said. "The administration has relied completely
on Weisglass."
Shalom, a leader of the Likud Party, plans to resign from his post on
Jan. 15. Officials said Justice Minister Tsippi Livni, who has also been
wooed by the United States, would become foreign minister.
Officials said Weisglass has headed Israeli talks with the United States
regarding arrangements to enable Palestinian Legislative Council elections
in Jerusalem. Since Sharon's stroke, the government plans to allow the
Palestinians to campaign and vote in Jerusalem for PLC elections.
Weisglass has also become the leading adviser of acting Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert. Officials said Weisglass recruited support for Olmert from
President George Bush and Ms. Rice. They said Olmert would be invited to the
White House in February as part of the administration's support for Olmert's
election as prime minister.
Parliamentarians have pointed to Weisglass's continued
professional involvement with projects in the Palestinian Authority,
including the Austrian-owned casino in the West Bank town of Jericho.
On Thursday, Bush telephoned Olmert and expressed concern over Sharon's
condition. A statement by Olmert's office said Bush reiterated his
commitment to Israeli security while calling on Hamas to recognize the
Jewish state.
"I wanted to tell you that our hearts are with Ariel Sharon, his family,
his friends and the entire Israeli people." Bush was quoted as saying. "We
know that this is a difficult time for you and I will do whatever I can to
help."
Later, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush called to express
his "deep concern" about Sharon, who remains in a coma. McClellan said
Olmert was well known in Washington and the United States wants to work with
his administration to help the PA.
"There are some important priorities on the agenda -- the upcoming
Palestinian elections that are important to moving forward on building a
Palestinian state and moving forward on the peace process," McClellan said.