RAMALLAH,
October 28 (IslamOnline.net & news Agencies) – Palestinian
President Yasser Arafat's health is said to be in stable but serious
condition, as more doctors from neighboring Egypt and Jordan were on
their way Thursday, October 28.
“The
situation is stable now, he is in stable condition, but he needs more
rest and more medical care,” reported Ha’aretz, quoting
Arafat's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
Other
officials said the Palestinian leader was able to join morning prayers
at his compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah, where he has been
confined by the Israeli occupation forces for almost three years,
reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“You
could see he was suffering but he managed to pray,” one official
said.
Top
medics were to carry out further bedside tests on Arafat while two
teams of doctors were due to arrive from Jordan and Egypt after offers
from King Abdullah II and President Hosni Mubarak.
According
to the BBC News Online, Arafat's long-time personal doctor, Jordanian
neurologist Ashraf Kurdi, said he had been summoned urgently.
“I
am taking a team to assess his condition and do whatever is possible
that can be done. They refused to tell me what his condition was.”
Reports
he had lost consciousness for a short while were quickly refuted by
Abu Rudeineh.
Arafat's
wife, Suha, was to arrive Thursday from Tunis.
Mrs
Arafat, who lives in Paris, has not visited Ramallah since the start
of Al-Aqsa Intifada against the Israeli occupation in September 2000.
Mahmud
Abbas, former prime minister and deputy head of PLO, and incumbent
premier Ahmed Qorei were also at Arafat's bedside.
Health
problems
 |
|
Palestinians
wait outside Arafat's compound
|
For
over a week, there have been reports that President Arafat, 75, was
suffering stomach pains, but tests reportedly found no signs of major
illness.
He
is said to have been suffering from a bout of flu as well as a
gallstone, which is thought to be easily treatable.
Arafat's
health has been the subject of speculation after a team of Tunisian
medics was sent to the West Bank to carry out tests at the weekend,
when Palestinian officials insisted he had nothing more than a severe
bout of influenza.
However,
cabinet secretary Hassan Abu Libdeh confirmed that Arafat's condition
had taken a turn for the worse.
“He
has been going through a very slow recovery over the last few days,
including the last six hours, and now he is in critical condition,”
Abu Libdeh told CNN late Wednesday.
Israel
said it would allow Arafat to go “wherever he wants for
treatment.”
But
the authorities, although wary of being blamed in the event of his
death, have declined to confirm whether they would allow him back to
the Palestinian territories.
“That
question has not been looked into,” one Israeli official said.
Possible
Successor
His
declining health has raised international concerns over who would
replace Arafat, the embodiment of Palestinian aspirations of
independence for decades.
According
to the terms of the Palestinian basic law, parliament speaker Rawhi
Fattuh would be appointed as head of the Palestinian Authority for a
maximum 60-day interim period in the event of Arafat's death.
However
in reality, the real reigns of power are likely to pass immediately to
Abbas and Qorei.
Reports
said Arafat has formed a tripartite leadership committee -- comprising
Abbas, Qorei and the president of the Palestinian National Council
Salim Al-Zaanoun (the PLO's parliament in exile) -- to ensure a smooth
transition of power.
The
reports were, however, denied by a senior Arafat aide.
Hundreds
of Palestinians and media people gathered outside Arafat's compound.
Arafat
is the most popular Palestinian leader and the symbol of the
Palestinian national struggle.
Arafat…
Decades Of Struggle, Crises
