Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a dominant figure in Middle Eastern politics since his election in 2001, suffered a major stroke Jan. 4.

Sharon, 77, has recently responded slightly to pain stimuli, but cannot speak or open his eyes.

He underwent 13 hours of surgery to stop bleeding in his brain after the stroke, and now breathes on his own while in a drug-induced coma.

His anesthesiologist, Dr. Yoram Weiss, asserted Sharon is no longer in imminent danger of death.

'Metaphorically speaking, we were right on the edge of the cliff,' he said. 'Now we are five meters back.'

Weiss said it is too soon to estimate the permanent damage the stroke might have caused.

'We can't know yet what the cognitive improvement is,' he said. 'So what we have to do is be patient.'

According to Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Hadassah Hospital, where Sharon is being treated, his movements show 'slight progress in brain function.'

Sharon is stable in the Jerusalem hospital, but one of his physicians expressed doubt that he will improve soon.

'The moment he is conscious, that he speaks to us, that his systems work as they should'then we can say he is no longer in serious condition,' said Dr. Felix Umansky.

While Sharon is not in imminent danger of death, he is not expected to return to politics, leaving fellow Kadima party member Ehud Olmert as acting prime minister.

Since his stroke, Sharon's chair has been left vacant during sessions of Knesset, the Israeli legislature.

Sharon's sudden debilitation comes at a difficult time for the infant Kadima party, as it faces its first elections March 28.

'Kadima' means 'forward' in Hebrew. Sharon chose the term to signal his departure from Likud's anti-Palestine policy.

In Sharon's absence, it is unclear who will represent Kadima in the race for the prime minister's seat. It is possible that Olmert will run for permanent election to the position.

Sharon founded centrist Kadima in November, leaving behind the right-wing Likud party. He hoped to win support for his plan to remove Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank and allow autonomy for Palestinians in those areas.

Sharon first proposed this plan while he was a member of Likud, a party he helped to found nearly 23 years ago.

Shortly afterward, at an important party meeting of the Likud Central Committee Sept. 25, Sharon's microphone cut out at the beginning of his address, preventing him from speaking. He left shortly afterward.

This was regarded as a strong sign that Sharon would form a new party to accomplish the Gaza and West Bank pullout.

The pullout process, which began nearly a year ago, follows the 'road map' for peace recommended by the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

It is unclear what Sharon's absence will mean for the pullout process.

Information for this article was obtained from CNN.com,

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.com,

and http://www.washingtonpost.com.