Other polls, however, said it was uncertain Sharon could turn the popularity of the pullout from Gaza into electoral victory.
"Sharon is the only credible leader with a national base right now and that is a very powerful card Sharon has to play," said political analyst Gerald Steinberg of Bar-Ilan University. "On the other hand this is totally new territory and third parties have not done well in the past."
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat compared the events to the eruption of a volcano.
"I've never seen anything of this significance," he said. "I hope that when the dust settles, we will have a partner in Israel to go to the end game, toward the end of conflict, toward a final agreement."
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