False rumors of Ariel Sharon’s death reportedly prompted the Knesset to pave a new access road.
Avi Balashnikov, chief of staff at the Knesset, ordered the emergency road work this summer upon receiving word that the former prime minister had passed away in the hospital where he was being treated for a 2006 stroke, Yediot Acharonot reported Thursday.
According to the newspaper, Balashnikov wanted arrangements in place for the customary cortege that would bring Sharon to lie in state in the Knesset. Even though the death rumors were soon dispelled, the paving project continued and was completed within hours.
Balashnikov’s office had no immediate comment on the report. The Knesset has been undergoing a major makeover in recent months, including the installation of a new entranceway and access roads.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
