Report: Ariel Sharon is responsive, moves fingers

Ariel Sharon in 2001

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is responsive and has gained weight, his son told The New York Times.

Sharon, who has been in a coma since suffering a stroke nearly six years ago, moves his fingers when requested and looks at people when he is awake, Gilad Sharon told the newspaper on Oct. 20, in advance of the release of his biography of his father, “Sharon: The Life of a Leader,” set to be released in Hebrew and English on Oct. 26.

Ariel Sharon, 83, remains in a hospital near Tel Aviv following a brief stay at his ranch in southern Israel.

Gilad Sharon wrote in his book that he gave his father the idea of unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, according to the Times. His accounts of his father’s dealings with current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are unflattering to Netanyahu.

Gilad Sharon, a member of his father’s Kadima Party, is said to be interested in entering politics.