It seems mister Arafat's condition is very serious, it's unclear at this moment if he is just very ill, in a coma, or even dead.
I'm worried about what will happen if he dies.
I know he's in his seventies, and nobody gets to live forever, but with the Middle East being so unstable at the moment, this is pretty scary...

It is very scary. I hope he's okay.

I have to say I don't think he will survive much longer. The spokesperson at the hospital made a statement that said (translated into english)

Mr Arafat is not dead.

And then he walked away. I don't think he is in a coma, but his condition is very serious.

Chris

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/04/arafat.health/index.html


Hospital denies Arafat is dead

Thursday, November 4, 2004 Posted: 3:49 PM EST GMT-5:00 (2049 GMT)

Palestinian leader moved to different department

PARIS, France (CNN) -- The French military hospital housing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat denied reports that he had died Thursday, saying he had been transferred to another department for treatment more appropriate to his condition.

A hospital spokesman said the 75-year-old Arafat was moved the day before because his condition had become more complex.

Senior Palestinian officials in Paris told CNN that Arafat was in critical condition in intensive care after drifting in and out of consciousness throughout the night.

Sources close to the Palestinian leadership told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Arafat was not clinically dead, as some media have reported, but he is not registering things, is not recognizing people and is not speaking.

The sources also said the Palestinian leader's mental faculties had deteriorated in the past week.

The confusion over Arafat's health extended to Washington. Told about reports that the Palestinian leader had died U.S. President George W. Bush told reporters: "My first reaction is, God bless his soul.

"My second reaction is that we will continue to work for a free Palestinian state that is at peace with Israel."

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has been placed on high alert and Palestinian security forces are reviewing their plans to keep Palestinian territories calm in the event of Arafat's death.

On Thursday afternoon, French President Jacques Chirac was allowed to briefly visit Arafat's room. He also spent about a half hour with Suha Arafat, the Palestinian leader's wife.

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

In Ramallah, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei told reporters Thursday that Arafat was in stable but serious condition and still required urgent medical attention.

"He's under treatment in very honest hands, our friends the French," he said.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said the Cabinet was "concerned now with the health of Chairman Arafat and we hope that he will overcome his illness."

A source close to Arafat told CNN the Palestinian leader was "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.

Security plan

Earlier Thursday, executive meetings were held of Fatah -- the political party headed by Arafat -- and there was an emergency session of the central committee of the PLO, where officials discussed plans should Arafat's return be delayed for several weeks or months.

Palestinian security officials reviewed security plans in the event of Arafat's death, and Israeli media reported Thursday that the Israeli military is on high alert.

Israeli defense officials reviewed their "Operation New Page" security plan during a regularly weekly briefing, a plan that has been in place for some time.

Palestinian officials have said that Arafat is suffering from a blood disorder, but they have repeatedly denied reports that he has leukemia.

After confining Arafat to his Ramallah headquarters for more than two and a half years, Israel's government allowed him to fly to Paris for medical treatment last week. Doctors have been conducting tests on him since his arrival Friday.

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

A source with the Arab League told CNN's Ben Wedeman that no funeral plans have been put into place in the event of Arafat's death for two reasons -- one, because "we Arabs are very superstitious when it comes to talking about death" and Arafat's sudden deterioration took everyone by surprise.

Secondly, the source said, as much as Arab leaders would like to come to the Palestinian territories to mourn, they believe the Israelis will place too many obstacles in their path.

hhmm?:)

just now on the news they said he's in a coma :(

Still saying he just in hospital in a serious condition here!

This is the last thing the world needs right now :(

Ye, I heard on the news this morning that he has gone into a coma.

Thanks,
Chris

Given that he's either going to be dead very soon, or going to be completely incapacitated for a while, after which he will die, the whole Palestinian organization will be in a state of turmoil, which will lead to factionalized fighting. This will lead to more violence against both sides of the conflict...

Oh well...he was pretty old already so it's not like he just died like as a newborn or something...

Also Teresa [sp?] Heinz (john kerry's wife aka "the ketchup lady" :lol: ) just got diagnosed with Breast Cancer how sad :(

no she wasn't. it was Elizabeth Edwards- as in, John Edwards' wife.

^ I guess my mother messed the two up when she told me sorry :/

They had that on The Daily Show. They were showing some reporters asking Bush questions, and one of them was how he reacted to the news that Arafat was dead. Bush started off on some long thing, and then they showed the CNN news clip where an overvoice is saying that, sorry, Arafat isn't dead.
Then they showed the French guy come out, say that Arafat wasn't dead, and walk off.

Oh well...he was pretty old already so it's not like he just died like as a newborn or something...
I think you totally missed the point, Marie.
I know he is in his seventies, and although that's not really old, it's not exactly tragic to die at that age either.
I was not so much grieving for a person that's dying, I am worried about the Middle East.
I know the media in the US is saying terrible things about him, this man may no be a saint, but he has fought very hard (the diplomatic way!) to achieve peace in the Middle East, he even won the Nobel Prize for it.
His death might be a very bad thing, resulting in turmoil in a part of the world that really doesn't need any more trouble.

Also Teresa [sp?] Heinz (john kerry's wife aka "the ketchup lady" :lol: ) just got diagnosed with Breast Cancer how sad :(Funny how you seem a lot more shocked by that news...

I think you totally missed the point, Marie.
I know he is in his seventies, and although that's not really old, it's not exactly tragic to die at that age either.
I was not so much grieving for a person that's dying, I am worried about the Middle East.
I know the media in the US is saying terrible things about him, this man may no be a saint, but he has fought very hard (the diplomatic way!) to achieve peace in the Middle East, he even won the Nobel Prize for it.
His death might be a very bad thing, resulting in turmoil in a part of the world that really doesn't need any more trouble.

Funny how you seem a lot more shocked by that news...
Marianne, no I didn't think about what would happen if Arafat died


and yes Breast Cancer shocked me more because it's a big killer of the women in my family so it's harder for me to hear since it's on a personal level. I leave it at that, I don't want to start an arguement :/

Marianne, no I didn't think about what would happen if Arafat died


and yes Breast Cancer shocked me more because it's a big killer of the women in my family so it's harder for me to hear since it's on a personal level. I leave it at that, I don't want to start an arguement :/
you probably know my mother died of breast cancer last year. So it's not like I don't care about the disease.

Arafat died this morning at around 3.15am in Paris. His body is being transported back to his home country where he will be buried.

I wonder what this means for the Arab world?

Chris

I read it in the newspaper this morning...but they spoke mostly of his and Palestine's past, nothing of the future...who will be taking his place?

I wonder what this means for the Arab world?me too, I'm very worried about that.

I read it in the newspaper this morning...but they spoke mostly of his and Palestine's past, nothing of the future...who will be taking his place?
Well on the news I've heard there are several possible successors, I guess whoever can ```` the people first :confused:

im scared :(