Arafat Dead : Reuters

bringitdown

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6758713

bugler

Hospital officials are denying it apparently, though two aides say he has expired. Your link is also dead I believe, so maybe the story was withdrawn.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/499144.html

bugler

Now your link is back. Oh, the excitement :-/

Sleepy

The excitement?

What in the name of Jeff's gonna happen now?

Robbo

Sleepy wrote:

The excitement?

What in the name of Jeff's gonna happen now?

Replacements to make a case for themselves in front of Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh?

uberwolf

I think at this stage it is a case of when and not if. Consequently to add to the drama we should have pools.

Or not.

a little disrespectful really. I hope he's at peace eitherway.

Hobbes

From what I have read so far he is still alive.

However there are a number of things about this that don't add up.
- Conflicting reports.
- Fight over who gets to see him.
- His wifes claim of "Burying my husband alive"
- Hospital reluctant to say what is wrong with him.
- Israel despite claiming they would assinate Arafat at the first chance let him go freely to France.
- Happening so close after the US election.

flyinfishmonkey

Robbo wrote:

Replacements to make a case for themselves in front of Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh?

Classic!!!
That little bit of light needed in a world gone mad Robbo.

mycroft

Hobbes wrote:

From what I have read so far he is still alive.

However there are a number of things about this that don't add up.
- Conflicting reports.
- Fight over who gets to see him.
- His wifes claim of "Burying my husband alive"
- Hospital reluctant to say what is wrong with him.
- Israel despite claiming they would assinate Arafat at the first chance let him go freely to France.
- Happening so close after the US election.

Ann Coulter thinks he has AIDs. Seriously have a demented dream involving her Rush Limbaugh, Mark Steryn some bbq sauce, nailing their feet to the ceiling and letting a pack of rabid jack russells have their way with them.

uberwolf

ireland.com say...

Senior Palestinian officials confirmed this evening that Mr Yasser Arafat has suffered a brain haemorrhage and is in a critical condition at a Paris hospital.

French doctors contradicted earlier reports that the veteran leader had died, saying: "Mr Arafat is not dead."

Earlier several political sources said Mr Arafat (75) in a coma for the past six days, had succumbed to the mystery illness that led to his being flown to Paris from the West Bank on October 29th, thrusting his Palestinian Authority into crisis.

"He is dead. It is possible they will delay the announcement," one Palestinian source said. "He died after bleeding in the brain began last night. His bodyguards started hugging and kissing and telling each other to be strong."

But Palestinian Foreign Minister Mr Nabil Shaath told CNN from Paris that Mr Arafat was alive and no decision has been made to take him off life-support.

The flurry of conflicting reports surfaced during a visit to Paris by a delegation of three senior Palestinian officials, all seen as potential successors to Mr Arafat, to check on the Palestinian leader despite his wife's angry objections.

Mr Arafat will be buried at his West Bank headquarters in the city of Ramallah if he dies of his illness in Paris, Palestinian officials said.

Palestinian leaders say they will be meeting through the night at Mr Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah where it has now been agreed he will be buried.

In four decades leading the Palestinian nationalist cause, Mr Arafat has gone from guerrilla icon to Nobel prize-winning peacemaker to a shunned old leader facing renewed bloodshed with Israel. Mr Arafat has been in a coma brought on by a still-undisclosed illness, with his dream of a Palestinian state unrealised, a possible succession battle brewing and the threat of chaos in Palestinian territories looming.

He has been widely admired by Palestinians as the father of their struggle for statehood but was reviled by many Israelis as the face of terror. Both sides have wondered whether his death might serve as the catalyst for first real peace effort in years or plunge the region into deeper crisis.

Mr Arafat had been flown to the Paris military hospital from his battered West Bank headquarters where he had been effectively confined by Israel for more than two and a half years.

Despite his reputation as a consummate survivor, Mr Arafat's decline came swiftly and with little warning. Initial claims that he was suffering from a stomach ailment soon gave way to widespread reports that he had slipped into a coma and that his organs were failing.

French doctors kept a tight lid on details of Mr Arafat's condition at the behest of his wife, Suha, who engaged in a war of words with senior Palestinians officials over her virtual monopoly on information from his hospital bedside.

But today, as the officials arrived in Paris to check on Mr Arafat, doctors said he had slipped deeper into a coma.

The delegation including Prime Minister Mr Ahmed Qurie, Mr Shaath and Palestine Liberation Organisation

Secretary General Mahmoud Abbas arrived at the hospital after France hinted it was losing patience with the visit dispute.

The hospital had ruled out leukaemia but had not given any diagnosis of Mr Arafat's illness. Palestinian officials said he had suffered from liver failure. All three leaders who flew into Paris yesterday are potential successors and Mr Arafat's wife had accused them of wanting to "bury him alive".

Mr Shaath said the delegation wanted to get the full facts on Mr Arafat. Despite the bickering, US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell said yesterday he was impressed by the Palestinian leaders' handling of Mr Arafat's absence and said he hoped the "relative calm" in the region would continue.

"I hope that sense of quiet and calm can be maintained and (that) it gives us something to work with," Mr Powell told reporters on the way to Mexico. He reiterated that the United States was "ready to engage as soon as it is appropriate to engage" with the so-called road map peace plan.

A top Islamic cleric was rushing to Yasser Arafat's bedside at the request of Palestinian officials. Taissir Dayut Tamimi, the head of the Islamic court in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said he was going to Paris "to be near President Arafat at this crucial time." Palestinian officials have said Arafat may only have hours to leave. Tamimi did not elaborate. However, his opinion might be sought in any decision to remove Arafat from life support equipment.


© 2004 ireland.com

seamus

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/11/10/story175163.html

Was it just me, or were Euronews this morning claiming that he was dead?

I have a feeling there's something fishy going on, but what could be gained by delaying news of his death (or pre-emptively annoucing his death before he's dead)?

[Edit: Euronews.net actually doesn't say he's dead, maybe I wasn't listening properly.

mycroft

seamus wrote:

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/11/10/story175163.html

Was it just me, or were Euronews this morning claiming that he was dead?

I have a feeling there's something fishy going on, but what could be gained by delaying news of his death (or pre-emptively annoucing his death before he's dead)?

For starts theres the crisis over his funeral. Arrafat wants to be buried in old jerusalem, to which Sharon et all have pretty much said "Over our dead bodies" or more accurately "jerusalem is the tome of jewish kids not terrorists" (and also Robert Maxwell).

So thats your first problem.

Now onto the guest list. Jordan. Egypt, Iran, Saudi all want to sent representives, Israeli is a tad miffed (hezbolla and the six day war spring to mind) Israeli has with gritted teeth agreed to most but have drawn the line at Iran.

The security arrangements will be hellish. No one will trust Israeli security, and Mossad aren't going let them bring in an armed escort. And everyone from Al Queida to fundamental zionists wouldn't mind getting a crack at the guest list. This is going to be the most awkward gathering since I farted at grandmas funeral.

And thats the bloody funeral.

Now onto the power vacum, the millions in secret bank accounts, the hatred of his wife, the factions, the corrupt nature of the regieme, things are going to get ugly. A major factor of everyone being so damn polite is no one wants to be seen to picking at a still twitching corpse, when he dies it's either going to mean peace or chaos.

seamus

Israeli/Palestine politics isn't exactly my strongpoint.

Essentially, it could easily precipitate some nasty wars of words, or even armed conflicts?

mike65

mycroft wrote:

Arrafat wants to be buried in old jerusalem, to which Sharon et all have pretty much said "Over our dead bodies" or more accurately "jerusalem is the tome of jewish kids not terrorists" (and also Robert Maxwell).

Kings surely?

Make of this what you will
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/10/content_2200671.htm
Israeli government have said he can be buried in Ramallah.

Mike.

mycroft

mike65 wrote:

Kings surely?


Mike.

Yeah thats the worst typo I've made in a while.

Thats fierce decent of them in all, they'll properly re route the security wall so his family can only visit every three weeks.

Padraig Mor

Quote is "Jerusalem is the burial ground of Jewish kings, not Arab terrorists". And there was I thinking that the UN had declared it an 'international' city not belonging to Israel, or any other country..... And that there was a major mosque there.....and that the Israelis were the bad guys.... Oh well.....

bonkey

Padraig Mor wrote:

Quote is "Jerusalem is the burial ground of Jewish kings, not Arab terrorists".

So does this mean that no "common" Israelis are buried there any more either?

jc

mycroft

Apparently they'll announce his passing later today

mr_angry

Apparently Egypt have offered to host a state funeral for him. Whether he's dead or not, its clear he is never going to lead the Palestinian people again.