As Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and in a serious condition, it's possible that his political life will come to an end.

Sharon's stroke has stirred turbulences in Israeli political arena and Palestinian-Israeli peace process. It might lead to another political reshuffle.

Why? Firstly, there is great concern with the future of Sharon's Kadima Party.

The high approval rate for Kadima Party which was formed by Sharon after he quit Likud last November, had been the result of Sharon's charisma. As the general elections are approaching, the rankings of party candidates have not yet determined. Without Sharon, it would be difficult to ease up possible conflicts.

Secondly, Likud Party might win the upper hand again.

Sharon's abandonment resulted in serious split in Likud Party which suffered a record low of support. Now Sharon's failing health seems to be a turning point for Likud.

At present, the advantage of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party is quite obvious. After its collapse, big names including Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, all remained in the Likud party and those who quit are Sharon's followers who cannot rule out the possibility to return to Likud after seeing Sharon's unhopeful election. Once Sharon's influence is not there, some traditional Likud voters supporting Kadima will still remain loyal to the former.

Chen Shuangqing holds Sharon's critical condition is also a crisis for Palestinian and Israeli peace process which has always been significantly affected by Israeli political change. Due to Sharon's health, there will be a lot of variables for Israel's general election to be held in March. No matter what happens, the inevitable trend will be that Israeli left wing will encounter a setback while the right wing will gain its momentum. Thus, the progress made by Sharon's unilateral pullout plan will be severely damaged along with the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

Currently it's upon Palestinian parliament elections and internal struggles are escalating. One can see a serious split in the ruling Fatah Movement as the new-generation leaders and senior statesmen are fighting hard for power.

Being suspected of involvement in corruption and fraud in local elections, the reputation and controlling capability of Mahmoud Abbas' authority are not as good as before. The constant success of local elections by the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has constituted a severe challenge for Fatah Movement.

Due to Sharon's illness, the rise of Israeli right wing would no doubt worsen the situation for Abbas' administration.

As for the United States, Sharon is the ideal partner for the time being. Once Sharon steps down, and in turn the rightist force gains power, the Palestinian-Israeli peace process which had just picked up, would suffer a setback and subsequently the U.S. democratic plan for the Middle East will be seriously affected. Neither of these is what the United States wants.

As Sharon is confined to bed, various parties and factions in both Palestine and Israel and even Israel's allies and foes are all deliberating their counter measures in a looming post-Sharon era.

The article on the front page of People's Daily Overseas Edition, Jan. 6, is written by Chen Shuangqing, an associate research fellow at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, and translated by People's Daily Online