The Jpost reports that Arafat is dying. Let the funeral games begin.
PA Minister to 'Post': Yasser Arafat in 'critical condition'
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH AND MATTHEW GUTMAN
MUKATA, Ramallah
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is in "critical condition" and doctors are trying to save his life, a PA cabinet minister told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday night.
"President Arafat is dying," said the minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Israel says it will allow Arafat to be moved "anywhere" to receive medical treatment. Israel has also said that any medical equipment can be brought into Ramallah. Israel has also given Egypt permission to send a special medical team to Ramallah.
The Israel Defense Forces are on alert and monitoring the situation in the event of Arafat's dying. Security forces will be prepared to deal with expected protests and gatherings to mourn his death, and the onslaught of foreign dignitaries and diplomats who will flock to the area to express condolences. Officials said Israel is ready for all possible scenarios that Arafat's death might lead to a deterioration in the security situation in the territories.
The official refused to confirm or deny reports that Arafat, 75, had lost consciousness. CNN quoted sources as saying that Arafat has been unable to keep food down for the past ten days and has been vomiting repeatedly.
Yasser Arafat's wife Suha and daughter Zahwa will visit the Palestinian leader on Thursday. Shaul Mofaz has allowed Mrs. Arafat's entry into Ramallah, Israel Radio reported.
The Palestinian security forces were put on high alert in the wake of the reports about Arafat's worsening health.
However, Arafat spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh late Wednesday night said Arafat's condition is stable, Israel Radio reported. Ahmed Qurei and Abu Mazen have left the Mukata. President Mubarak of Egypt is sending a medical team to Ramallah on Thursday morning, Rudeineh said.
Sakher Habash, a member of the PLO Central Committee member, came out of the Mukata after midnight and said, "He is getting better, I hope." Sources in Ramallah said the way Habash came out indicates that Arafat "is in very bad shape."
The theory here is that he is in a coma and incapacitated, Fatah sources said.
Hundreds of people are milling around the Ramallah compound, most of whom are curiosity seekers and reporters.
According to Palestinian Authority law, next in line to take over the PA leadership should Arafat be incapacitated is Rouhi Fattouh, the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and an Arafat confidant.
However, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) – which is an umbrella group of which the PA is a part - says that former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is next in line to succession because he is still the Secretary General of the PLO. Current Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) would remain in his position.
Sources said that the Palestinians will have to decide soon if Arafat is incapacitated, and added that the decision may have to wait until Suha Arafat gets to Ramallah Thursday morning from the Jordanian border.
PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas were among several officials summoned to Arafat's compound. This is the second time Abbas has been summoned to the Mukata in the past week.
The Palestinian Authority has not yet requested permission from the IDF to allow Arafat to leave his compound to seek treatment, but Israel announced Wednesday night that its previous authorization to allow Arafat to leave the compund and seek medical treatment at Ramallah Hospital still stands.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath, speaking to CNN from Geneva, said he was trying to get Arafat on the phone. "He has no diabetes, no blood sickness whatsoever and his blood pressure is normal. We are all praying for his health," Sha'ath said.
Doctors in Ramallah announced that medical tests have shown that the PA chairman does not have cancer. The diagnosis, confirmed by a blood test, comes a day after a hospital official said Arafat had a large gallstone. Sources close to Arafat said he spent most of Wednesday lying in bed and did not receive visitors. "He's still very weak, but he's slowly recovering," said one source.
The sources said Arafat's aides have asked for medical teams from Arab countries to arrive in Ramallah by Thursday, most likely from Tunisia and Egypt. Three Tunisian doctors arrived last week and have been monitoring the Palestinian leader. PA officials said this week that Arafat was recovering from flu.
The director of the Ramallah hospital arrived at the Mukata, Palestinians reported.
Muhammed Dahlan is also said to be on his way to see Arafat.
Yasser Arafat's latest health problems come at a time of unprecedented political and security instability in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, raising fears that his death could trigger a bloody power struggle among the top brass of the Palestinian leadership.
A day after undergoing an endoscopy test, Yasser Arafat was forced on Tuesday to break his Ramadan fast in order to receive medication and liquids.
PA officials who visited Arafat made every effort to play down the severity of his illness, saying he had been diagnosed with a large gallstone and was on his way to full recovery. The officials dismissed as "lies" reports that Arafat was suffering from stomach cancer.
Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei said Arafat was not in a life-threatening situation, but needed more time to rest and recover. According to Qurei, Arafat is expected to resume his normal activities "within a few days."
However, one of Arafat's aides was less optimistic, saying it was too early to predict when and if he would be back to work. "It could be days or weeks before he resumes his marathon, round-the-clock meetings," the aide added. "I doubt if he will ever be able to work 18 hours a day, as he has done for decades. Clearly, he now needs a lot of medical attention."
Arafat's failing health has once again raised the question about the identity of his successor. Arafat has always run the PLO and the PA as a one-man show, refusing to share powers with any official and blocking the emergence of a possible successor. |
