More Trubble in the middle east

[eek.]

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The biggest problem being, where will he be buried.
Arafat could be a bigger problem in death, than he was alive.

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Yasser Arafat 'very, very sick'





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The shell-marked compound has a small clinic of its own



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->A team of doctors has arrived at Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah where the ailing Palestinian leader's health has significantly deteriorated.


One cabinet minister, who asked not be identified, told Reuters that Mr Arafat, 75, was "very, very sick".

A crowd gathered, as a series of top Palestinian officials arrived. His wife Suha should arrive later on Thursday.

Israel says Mr Arafat can go anywhere for treatment, but it is unclear if he would be allowed back to the compound.

A top official told Reuters that if he leaves the West Bank, the question of whether he could return was "a separate issue after he recuperates".

Israel's policy has been that Mr Arafat is free to leave the compound where he is surrounded by Israeli troops, but may not be allowed to return.

Summoned to bedside

There were unconfirmed reports that Mr Arafat had appointed a three-man committee to take over while he recovers.

They were said to be Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, former premier Mahmoud Abbas and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Zaanoun.



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<!-- S ILIN -->Profile: Yasser Arafat
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX -->The first two have both visited Mr Arafat in recent hours.

A senior adviser to Mr Arafat, Nabil Abu Rudeina, denied the Palestinian leader was about to hand over power.

He did confirm that Tunisian and Palestinian doctors were examining the leader late on Wednesday.

Mr Arafat's long-time personal doctor, Jordanian neurologist Ashraf Kurdi, said he had been asked to go to Ramallah urgently without being given details.

"Arafat's aides called me urgently," he was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

"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."

Doctors examined the Palestinian leader earlier this week after he complained of 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.

Personal power



Despite being sidelined by Israel and the United States and the focus for widespread Palestinian anger at the corruption of the authority he leads, Mr Arafat is the most popular Palestinian leader and the symbol of their national struggle.

He is president of the Palestinian Authority, and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which means that he also represents Palestinians beyond the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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Suha Arafat is expected at her husband's bedside



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There is no clear successor to Mr Arafat. His power is very much personal and other Palestinian leaders have tended to be in his shadow.



Under the Palestinian Authority's constitution, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Rawhi Fattuh, would succeed. But this constitution has yet to be fully ratified.

There were several reports that Mr Arafat had lost consciousness for a short while - but these were quickly denied by his staff.

Israel has again offered to allow Mr Arafat to leave his compound if needed - an offer rejected on Tuesday.

Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz renewed permission on Wednesday night for him to make the four-minute journey to Ramallah hospital and also allowed Jordanian doctors to come and examine him, Israel Radio reports. He has, in effect, been confined to the compound by the Israeli army since 2001. Israel accuses him of fomenting violence in the Palestinian intifada, an allegation Mr Arafat denies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3960237.stm


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[eek.]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>'Israeli plans' for Arafat death


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Arafat's health has been a concern for both sides

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->Israel should brace itself for violence and refuse Yasser Arafat's burial in Jerusalem when he dies, according to a reported government contingency plan.

Several media outlets have published details of what is said to be Israel's plan to handle the death of the Palestinian leader, who is in his 70s.

The plan proposes a burial for Mr Arafat in Abu Dis, rather than the holy ground of Jerusalem.

But Israel has no intention of harming him at the moment, Israeli radio said.

It broadcast an interview with the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, who said Israel had "no personal plans" for Mr Arafat.

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</TD><TD class=sibtbg>ISRAEL CONTINGENCY PLAN
Best if Arafat dies abroad
No burial in Jerusalem
Israel must avoid being blamed

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX -->The document reportedly says the Palestinian Authority is likely to collapse and major violence would flare up in the West Bank and Gaza - beginning in the refugee camps - fanned by Hamas and other Islamic groups.

Israel would oppose any attempt by the militants to take control of Palestinian areas with "extreme measures", including launching a broad military operation in the Gaza Strip, according to reports on the document.

Steps would be taken to stop any rumours that Israel was in any way connected with a death by natural causes.

Sent away to die

The document is said to anticipate that Palestinians will demand Mr Arafat be buried in the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), known to Jews as the Temple Mount, which houses the al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem.

But this is ruled out as "symbolically problematic".

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Burial in the Aqsa compound is a great honour for Muslims

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->The best eventuality, the document says, is that Mr Arafat be treated abroad if his health deteriorates and for him to die outside the Palestinian territories.

That would remove blame from Israel and make it easier to prevent a Jerusalem burial, the document says.

A more troubling scenario for Israel foresees thousands of Palestinians trying to force their way into Jerusalem with Mr Arafat's body.

The burial should take place in the suburb of Abu Dis, which overlooks the old city of Jerusalem but lies outside the land claimed by Israel as its capital, the document says.

The document concludes that Israel must begin preparing for Mr Arafat's death by putting "pressure" on militant groups, to minimise their future capabilities, and opening dialogue with Palestinians who would form an "acceptable" government. Responding to the report, an Arafat adviser told Israeli Army Radio that the Palestinian leader is still in control and "very healthy". <!-- E BO -->


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[bblight]

I can hardly wait for the Palestinian implosion that will occur when the old terrorist dies!

 

[eek.]

You're displaying that old neocon cluelessness again BB.

A dead Arafat will be a focal point for the Palestinians to rally around.
And the various factions, will ride the wave of populism.

There could be quite a bit of trouble in Jerusalem.

(If you worked in a cubicle in Langley. I would transfer you to the monitoring of fish stocks with immediate effect)

 

[bblight]

Time will tell - but I've never seen an Arab who wouldn't stop for a second to kill another Arab for one sleight or another.

 

[docmercer--banned]

Boys:

How interesting things are getting!

The Treaty of Rome is to signed on Friday ... the Temple Mount may very well collapse during Ramadan ... Solana to announce on Nov 2nd EU plans for peace in the Middle East ... USA elections the same day ... and Sharon has the F16's geared up for an apparent run at the
Nuke reactors in Iran - a move which will certainly bring Russia into the Mess in the Middle East

The main question is what Arafat's apparently passing will mean for this volatile region... violence soon to erupt in Israel with the Sharon pullback plan in full effect .... reports from Ramallah say Arafat has appointed a three man committee to run the Palestinian Authority "for the time being." However, Israeli analysts say the "committee" was probably formed by the three men themselves, without Arafat's actual knowledge or consent .... expect the chaos that has been recently escalating in the Palestinian zones to explode when he finally dies, with the likelihood that a bloody power struggle, and possibly even a civil war, will follow

Get our troops out of there right now as one bloody war is about to erupt in the Middle East ...