Illness of Yasser Arafat Details, Meaning Illness of Yasser Arafat Article and Explanation Guide

Illness of Yasser Arafat Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

The illness of Yasser Arafat grabbed worldwide headlines October 29, 2004 as the ailing leader of the Palestinian Authority was flown to Paris for critical medical treatment of what began to look like a terminal illness.

"President Arafat does not have cardiac arrest or heart failure," said Ashraf al-Kurdi, Yasser Arafat's Jordanian doctor. "He is still alive. He is not clinically dead. There is no brain death, but his condition is deteriorating." [1]

Table of contents

1 October - November 2004 illness

1.1 Onset
1.2 The Israel factor
1.3 Flight to Paris
1.4 Rumors of coma or death

2 Arafat "not in coma"
3 See also
4 Links

October - November 2004 illness

Onset

In late October 2004 Arafat began to experience health problems, and on October 27, 2004 he reportedly vomited during a meeting and lost consciousness for ten minutes. There was disagreement about the seriousness of his condition, which was initially reported by some as flu. Later, however, Palestinian and Tunisian medical teams were called to his compound, followed on October 29 by doctors from Jordan and Egypt. According to one of his doctors, Arafat is suffering from ITP, a blood platelet deficiency. This diagnosis does not adequately explain all the symptoms.

The Israel factor

Israel had held Arafat in virtual arrest in his Ramallah compound for more than 2 years, by announcing that if Arafat left the compound he would be barred from returning. Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had also hinted on several occassions that Arafat might be assassinated by Israel. However, after the reports of Arafat's deteriorating health, the Israeli government stated that Arafat was free to leave his compound for medical treatment. Initially, Arafat refused to go because of Israel's stated policy on barring his return, but after Israel reiterated that Arafat's return to Ramallah would not be prevented if he went abroad for medical treatment, his doctors announced that Arafat would be moved abroad for additional medical tests.

Flight to Paris

Accompanied by his wife Suha Arafat on October 29, Arafat was flown out to France aboard a French government jet for medical treatment at the Percy Training Hospital of the Armies in Clamart, a southwestern suburb of the capital Paris.

Rumors of coma or death

On November 4, numerous conflicting reports of Arafat's status were released, stating that he was variously comatose, in a "vegetative state", or dead (AFP LeMonde UPI Reuters).

A senior Palestinian official told Reuters news agency: :President Arafat is in very serious condition. He is still in a coma. The sense people are getting is that they are increasingly pessimistic." [1]

"So many people are making declarations without any basis," said Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian reform activist. "I am upset at how many times Israel Radio has announced the passing of Yasser Arafat. It is untrue and completely unethical." [1]

However, the spokesman for the Health Services of the Armies, chief surgeon Christian Estripeau, declared that Yasser Arafat was not dead, but in a complex state of health, which was the reason why he had been moved to intensive care [1].

On November 5, he was reported to be hovering in between life and death. Estripeau declared that Arafat's situation had not worsened since the preceding day, but that he could not answer questions because of concerns for the patient's family.

Leila Shahid, the Palestinian envoy to France, denied French and Israeli media reports that Arafat was being kept alive on life support amid conflicting reports over his condition after a sharp decline a day earlier. "I can assure you that there is no brain death," Shahid told French RTL radio. "He is in a coma. We don't know the type, but it's a reversible coma. ... Today we can say that, given his condition and age, he is at a critical point between life and death." Later, a hospital spokesman said Arafat remained in stable condition. The Palestinian leader "has not gotten worse," said Christian Estripeau, head of communications for French military health services. [1]

On the same day concerns about where Arafat should be buried begun. In the Muslim tradition, a person should be buried within 24 hours of dying. Himself and his family has stated that he wishes to be buried in Jerusalem, which many Palestinians want to become the capital of Palestine. Israel, which considers Jerusalem to be the "eternal and undivisible capital of Israel" and Arafat to be a terrorist, has denied him a burial there. On November 5, Israeli Justice Minister Yossef Lapid said "Jerusalem is the city where Jewish kings are buried, and not Arab terrorists." [1]

On November 6, the military health services announced that there was no evolution of the state of health of Yasser Arafat, in either direction.

Arafat "not in coma"

On November 7, a spokesman for Arafat said that he is not comatose. It is not certain if Arafat had regained conciousness or had been conscious all along. His exact illness is still unknown [1], and his doctor said it could be poisoning, since leukemia has been ruled out [1].