while everybody's talking about bush, there's something brewing in middle-east

[severin]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/...lth/index.html


PARIS, France (CNN) -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is in critical condition at a Paris military hospital after drifting in and out of consciousness throughout the night, senior Palestinian officials tell CNN.

Medical officials have not confirmed Arafat's condition.

Arafat's senior adviser Nabil Abu Rudeineh dismissed reports that the 75-year-old leader was in a coma as "rumors."

"He is in the intensive care unit, as I said, because he is in need of several very advanced tests in the coming hours and days," Abu Rudeineh said.

A source close to Arafat told CNN Arafat is "OK and he's resting" and denied reports that he had lost consciousness.

Another senior Palestinian source said Arafat had been medicated before tests Thursday morning and had simply slept through the night.

Since entering the Paris hospital last week, Palestinian officials have maintained that Arafat was suffering from a blood disorder.

They have repeatedly denied reports that he is facing leukemia.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat told CNN he was hopeful the hospital would issue a statement by the end of the day to dispel the "rumors" regarding Arafat's deteriorating health.

"The situation is stable, that's what I was told," Erakat said, after he said he spoke with with Arafat's wife, Suha, and Palestinian U.N. envoy Nasser al-Kidwa who is with the Palestinian delegation in Paris.

Israel's government, which had confined Arafat to his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah for more than two and a half years, allowed him to fly to Paris for medical treatment last Friday.

Doctors have been conducting tests on him since his arrival.

On Wednesday, a source close to Arafat denied reports that the Palestinian leader's condition had deteriorated sharply, but another official acknowledged that his condition remained "difficult."

A Israeli newspaper, Ha'aretz, reported late Wednesday on its Web site that Arafat's health had "seriously deteriorated" overnight.

Arafat was flown to Paris after a team of doctors in Ramallah said they had not been able to determine the cause of his illness.

After a call from Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel agreed to allow Arafat to go anywhere his doctors thought necessary and would allow him to return to his Ramallah compound.

Israel has accused Arafat of provoking suicide bombings and other violent acts in the Palestinian uprising that began in September 2000, charges that Arafat denies.

Qorei and former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas have assumed additional responsibilities during Arafat's absence.

Abbas, secretary-general of the executive committee of the PLO, is acting chairman of the PLO, and Qorei, deputy head of the national security council, is acting head of the security committee.

Erakat, the Palestinian chief negotiator, has said Arafat approved the changes before leaving for France.

----------------------------------------------------------------


when he dies, there is no one to follow, most likely chaos within the leading ranks of the plaestinians will break out. and what israel will do nobody knows. it's kind of frightening

[mewl]

fuck this could be really bad. i hope he pulls through.

[BeautifulLoser]

My prediction: He'll die, someone even more radical will take his place, and the whole situation will get worse.

[mewl]

Originally posted by BeautifulLoser
My prediction: He'll die, someone even more radical will take his place, and the whole situation will get worse.

i bet you're right

[GlasgowKiss]

200-300 daisy cutters.

[Mariner]

so how long until a certain someone tries to convice us all that there are weapons of mass destruction in palestine?

[severin]

well, he just died...
according to the israelis at least

[Future Boy]

it's been retracted.

[twilightfadez]

yeah now they're denying it.
hmm.

[Future Boy]

Although they should know, they probably poisoned his ass.

[Brandont_h]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=6718957

According to this article, they're admitting that he's in a coma, and that they're pessimistic about his health. That seems to contradict what CNN was reporting earlier.

[severin]

information on this is a total mess.

he's in a coma / he's not in a coma just slipping in and out of consciousness

he's dead (confirmed by israelis and the leader of luxembourg or something) / no, he's alive (from the doctors)

hell, he probably died yesterday and they keep it low because they want to make sure who follows first

[Mercury Crying]

He's clinicly dead, so if need be, Jeb Bush is going to insert a Feeding tube into him to keep Arafat alive

[Pumpkins23836]