Posted on 11/06/2004 5:21:00 AM PST by jriemer
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Ailing Palestinian President Yasser Arafat - too weak to stand, unable to hold down food and spending most of Thursday sleeping - agreed to leave his battered compound for the first time in more than two years and fly to Paris for urgent medical treatment.
The 75-year-old Palestinian leader's planned departure Friday, a decade after he arrived on the West Bank of the Jordan River with the promise of statehood, could mark the end of an era. Arafat, who hoarded power and declined to groom a successor, leaves behind a people in disarray.
Blood tests revealed he had a low platelet count, though it was unclear what caused the ailment, his doctors said, ruling out leukemia. In deference to his deteriorating condition, Israel lifted its travel ban on Arafat, allowing him to leave his battered headquarters compound in Ramallah for the first time since 2002 and to return if he recovers.
Arafat will be moved to the Jordanian capital Amman early Friday, then continue on to Paris for medical treatment, said Munnib al-Masri, an Arafat aide. Jordan sent two helicopters to pick up Arafat.
Palestinians across the Middle East anxiously but quietly monitored Arafat's health Thursday but there was no mass vigil around his compound or any other public displays of support.
"I pray to God to save him because we need him, he is the safety valve for everything here, he is the father of all the Palestinians," said Imad Samara, a 38-year-old teacher from Gaza City.
Palestinian officials tried to play down Arafat's health problems earlier Thursday, saying he performed Muslim prayers before dawn and ate a light breakfast of cornflakes and milk.
They released a brief video and two photos showing him sitting in a chair, wearing blue pajamas and a dark stocking cap and smiling broadly as he posed with his doctors Thursday afternoon. In the video, he holds two of his doctors' hands and leans over to kiss one of them.
Dr. Ashraf Kurdi said there is no immediate threat to Arafat's life.
"His condition is good, his spirits are high," Kurdi said.
But the seriousness of his condition was underscored by the rushed arrival of Arafat's 41-year-old wife, Suha, who lives in Paris with their young daughter and has not seen her husband since 2001.
A close associate said Arafat spent most of Thursday sleeping. When he awoke, he was too weak to stand and was put in a wheelchair, the associate said on condition of anonymity. Arafat has been unable to hold down food and also suffers from diarrhea, the associate said. At times, Arafat appeared confused, not recognizing some of his visitors, he added.
Doctors later said he had a low platelet count. That can indicate a variety of problems, including bleeding ulcers, colitis, liver disease, lupus and chicken pox.
His doctors recommended he be moved to Paris, where he can receive better medical care. French President Jacques Chirac's office said France will send a plane to take him there.
Palestinian bulldozers entered Arafat's compound Thursday night and began clearing away rubble and cars crushed by Israeli raids, presumably to make room for a makeshift helipad.
Despite Israel's promise to let Arafat return, his deteriorating condition and his departure from the West Bank are likely to dramatically change Palestinian politics.
Several potential successors were already reported jockeying for position, a development that could transform relations with Israel. The Israel government has refused to deal with Arafat, saying he was fomenting terror and is not a partner for peace.
"Whatever will be, we are seeing Arafat being sidelined. A new situation has been created that could be for the better, or worse," said Yossi Beilin, an Israeli politician and former peace negotiator.
"It can be better, because there is a group around Arafat, veterans of the Palestinian political system, who are pragmatic and believe in the peace process," he said, referring to Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and former premier Mahmoud Abbas.
In an effort to show their leadership is not paralysed, Palestinians are to convene two bodies in Arafat's absence - the Palestinian cabinet and the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a former minister and close confidant of Arafat.
"We admit that things will not be easy," Abed Rabbo said, "but we will try our best for full co-ordination...and we will consult with president Arafat on the important issues."
The U.S. administration, which has also tried to sideline Arafat, said it hopes he receives the medical care he needs.
"This is not a political matter for us," U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
"This is a matter of seeing that an ill person gets the medical care they need for health."
Arafat had been ill for two weeks, with Palestinian officials insisting he was suffering from a persistent flu and doctors saying he had a large gallstone. Israeli officials speculated Arafat had stomach cancer but his doctors said tests ruled that out. The Palestinian leader has shown symptoms of Parkinson's disease since the late 1990s.
Arafat's condition sharply deteriorated Wednesday evening when he vomited after eating soup, then collapsed and was unconscious for about 10 minutes, a bodyguard said.
The Palestinian leader has groomed no successor and many feared his death would spark chaos and violence throughout Palestinian cities and villages.
Arafat has been confined to his compound since December 2001 except for a one-day respite in May 2002, when he toured the West Bank in a Jordanian helicopter to inspect damage following a 34-day Israeli military operation. He has remained in the compound because of Israeli threats, sieges and his own fears of being banished.
The last time Arafat travelled abroad was November 2001, when he visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in a telephone conversation Thursday with Qureia, agreed to allow Arafat to be flown abroad for treatment. Israeli officials said they feared a backlash in the Arab world if the country is perceived as contributing to Arafat's death.
In a flurry of meetings Thursday, Israeli leaders also talked about what might happen after Arafat's departure or death. Israel has prepared contingency plans for Arafat's death, including how to deal with possible riots and prevent Palestinian attempts to bury him in Jerusalem.
"Weekend at Yassir's"
Don't ping me until they're finished.
He is not dead. I saw him last night at a Gorman, California truck stop. He was carrying a cup of coffee, got into an eighteen wheeler, and drove off into the night. It being said He will come again!
lol love the thread title
Ah, I love when what goes around comes around.
At least she doesn't have to worry about Madama Guillotine. And most certainly, Chirac will see to it that she does get a job......maybe has HIS charwoman.
Leni
Nice to know I am not the only one to have that particular thought.
Someone needs to Photoshop Yasser's head into there.
According to Professor Schrodinger, he's floating in a dead/alive state and will only be definitely dead or definitely a live once they bring cameras into the room he's in and check his pulse.
I heard Rush say (don't know the source) that Arafat has 2-3 BILLION tucked away in the banks.
Gee, running a People's Liberation/Terrorist group sure pays well. You don't suppose some of that $$$ was donations for "starving Palestinian Refugees" that MAGICALLY slipped into a Swiss Bank account under his name? (sarcasm)
I would guess the "keeping him on life support until they decide on burial plans" is just a front. The Mrs.-soon-to-be-widow wants the cash, his PLO buddies want it themselves, and the French are probably angling for a cut. Let the Jihad begin!
And thanks to everyone who has now FORCED me to rent a copy of Monty Python & the Holy Grail just so I can see that "Bring Out Your Dead" scene again. :-)
Have the doctors ruled out an advanced case of pinworms?
I thought Rush said "million," but maybe I heard it wrong.
Can anyone verify, please?
I think John Kerry and Jacques Derrida must be his doctors.
And don't pull that "but Derrida is dead" crap on me. Death is an arbitrary social construct.
One vote for dead.
Dr. Ashraf Kurdi said there is no immediate threat to Arafat's life.
Give me 5mins. alone with him and I can do something about that.
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