BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Ariel Sharon's departure from the Israeli political scene will deprive the Arab world of one of its most hated adversaries, but also of a leader who in recent years has shown a willingness to make concessions.

For Palestinians, Sharon's grave illness could jeopardize plans for legislative elections on Jan. 25. Sharon had threatened to ban Palestinians from voting in Jerusalem, which prompted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to warn that he would cancel the elections altogether. The dispute is now in limbo, as Israel deals with the void left after Sharon suffered a massive stroke Wednesday.

For the wider Middle East, the question is whether regimes such as Saudi Arabia would be more willing -- and better able -- to deal with a successor who does not carry the same baggage of bloodshed.

"Sharon was no friend to the Palestinians," said Nasser al-Kidwa, Palestinian Authority foreign minister. "He is responsible for much killing and suffering."

Throughout the Arab world, Sharon is reviled as the architect of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, which for the first time resulted in Israeli troops occupying an Arab capital. As defense minister, Sharon allowed a Lebanese Christian militia allied with Israel to enter Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, where they slaughtered hundreds of Palestinians. An Israeli government panel called Sharon "indirect responsibility" for the massacre and urged his dismissal.

That history has made it difficult for Arab regimes to deal with Sharon since he was elected prime minister in 2001.

"In the Arab world, Sharon is like an acid test. His name comes up with blood and reservoirs of hate," said Chibli Mallat, a prominent Lebanese law professor who led a campaign to prosecute Sharon for the Beirut massacres. "Even another Israeli leader who shares his politics would not have the same kind of bloody history with the Arabs. Sharon's removal from the scene could create an opening between the Arabs and Israel."

A Saudi official said Israel's next leader, who is due to be elected March 28, has little choice but to negotiate with the Palestinians. "No matter who is in power, Israel will have to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians and the entire Arab world," said the official, who asked not to be named.

In 2002, the Saudis led a campaign to offer Israel a peace deal with all 22 Arab League members. The league called for Israel to withdraw from all Arab land it captured during the 1967 war, for the creation of a Palestinian state with sovereignty over East Jerusalem, and for a "just solution" to the problem of more than 3.5 million Palestinian refugees. In exchange, Arab leaders offered Israel recognition and pledges of security.

The day after the Saudi plan was adopted at an Arab summit, Sharon sent troops to besiege Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in his compound and to reoccupy most West Bank cities. Sharon argued he was responding to suicide attacks on Israeli civilians. Israeli leaders also questioned the sincerity of the Saudi offer. Moreover, Israel had long rejected ceding control of East Jerusalem, and denied the "right of return" for several hundred thousand Palestinians -- and their descendants -- who fled or were forced out when Israel was created in 1948.