Ailing Sharon sees support eroding fast

ARIEL SHARON was fighting more than just a military campaign yesterday against Palestinian gunmen, who inflicted terrible casualties on Israeli troops and civilians over the weekend.
For the first time since he came to office a year ago, the Israeli Prime Minister was also battling for political survival, as his public support collapsed and he struggled to bridge growing splits within his polarised coalition Government.
Mr Sharon provokes extreme reactions from his countrymen, who admire and loathe him in equal measure. But on one point most Israelis, until recently at least, could agree: the former general is seen as a good man in a crisis, who is not afraid to use Israel’s considerable military force to protect the Jewish State.