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Middle East
Arafat’s personal doctor to examine Palestinian president
2003-09-29
Yasser Arafat’s personal doctor will come Monday to the West Bank city of Ramallah to examine the Palestinian leader, who has been complaining in the last few days of tiredness and exhaustion, according to Al Quds newspaper. In its Monday edition, the East Jerusalem-based newspaper said that Arafat’s mild ailment may likely be the result of tremendous efforts the Palestinian leader has been putting into meetings with delegations arriving in Ramallah to express their support in him, as well as meetings concerning the formation of Aba Ala’s government. In recent weeks, many delegations have visited Arafat, 74, to kiss his ring show their support for the Palestinian leader, following the Israeli government’s decision to "remove" him. Dr. Ashraf al Kurdi, Arafat’s doctor has declined from commenting on the seriousness of the PA leader’s condition. “I have not yet seen the Palestinian president
and so I do not know anything about what has happened to him. I shall talk to the media in details after returning from Ramallah,” Kurdi told Al Bawaba.
"I can say no more"
Last year, Kurdi – a renowned neurologist and former Jordanian health minister who has been overseeing Arafat’s health since the eighties - said that the 74-year-old Palestinian leader is not suffering from Parkinson’s disease, but rather has a form of the ‘shakes’ due to nervous tension. In June 1992, Arafat underwent a surgical operation to remove a blood clot from his brain that only appeared after his plane crashed in the Libyan desert. Meanwhile, according to Arafat’s top aide, Nabil Abu Rudenieh, the Palestinian leader has been ill for three days and has been unable to keep down his food. A few years ago, Arafat developed noticeable tremors in his lower lip. Doctors ascribed these tremors to a nervous tic, but press reports speculated that the Palestinian leader was suffering from a degenerative neurological illness.
Here’s hoping it’s painful and fatal.
Barfing isn't usually a good sign...
It should be noted, however, that in the past, newspapers had widely reported on various ailments Arafat had allegedly been suffering from, but as it turned out, those reports were apparently part of an ongoing internal struggle to succeed the Palestinian leader.
Psst, Arafat is dying and taking your cause with him. Better knock off any rivals and seize power while you can. Pass it around.
Posted by:Steve

#13  Steve--nice imagery. :-)

Let's send Yasser another picture of Rachel Corrie--lovingly sprinkled with anthrax.
Posted by: Dar   2003-9-29 5:11:36 PM  

#12  Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat emerged smiling from his battered West Bank compound Monday after a bout with the flu and thanked Jordan for sending doctors to treat him.

Yasser crawls out of his hole, sees his shadow, declares six more weeks of violence.
Posted by: Steve   2003-9-29 3:26:41 PM  

#11  Thanks for the inagery, Frank. Right after I had some herring snacks. Thanks alot.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2003-9-29 2:44:25 PM  

#10  My diet thanks you, Steve - I had to google syphilitic gumma to see what you were thinking about....now I'm not hungry. Yecccchhh. Think Suha might've picked up the spirochete? Or did they wash off the turkey baster ;-)
Posted by: Frank G   2003-9-29 1:20:36 PM  

#9  A few years ago, Arafat developed noticeable tremors in his lower lip. Doctors ascribed these tremors to a nervous tic, but press reports speculated that the Palestinian leader was suffering from a degenerative neurological illness.

OP, this probably isn't spinal stenosis (what you're describing). Lower lip tremor doesn't fit with that; sounds more like a chronic degenerative problem.

My question: only a few years? I've wondered whether Arafat had had a syphilitic gumma in his brain the past 30 years or so. That would explain just about everything.
Posted by: Steve White   2003-9-29 12:22:51 PM  

#8  Yes Bomb-a-rama, I think Yassir did fool Eddie Said (also Clinton, Rabin, etc.). But then so did the Islamofascists who, instead of fading away like Said predicted, came back strong. Not only that, but the Islamofascists used Said's book Orientalism to justify themselves much to Said's dissappointment (he was nominally a Christian).
Posted by: mhw   2003-9-29 12:08:16 PM  

#7  Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has the flu and has sent for his personal physician who lives in Jordan, an Arafat aide said Monday. Arafat, 74, has been sick for three days and has been unable to keep down food, said his aide, Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
Maybe it's one of those old Russian strains of the flu, ya know, the kind of flu the Soviet leaders used to catch. They'd go to bed with a cold and then next thing you knew, somebody else would be standing atop Lenin's Tomb.


Posted by: Steve   2003-9-29 12:04:12 PM  

#6  Said thought Yassir's acceptance of the Oslo process was a sellout.

Sure fooled ol' Eddie, didn't he? :)
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-9-29 11:28:33 AM  

#5  Didn't I see this scenario in a Robert Redford movie?...
Posted by: mojo   2003-9-29 11:03:13 AM  

#4  Sounds like Arafart has the same problem I do - arthritic growths inside the spinal column putting pressure on the spinal chord, and increasing the pressure of the spinal fluid around the brain. Causes hard-to-diagnose trembling, shaking, weakness in the extremities, hot and cold flashes, and all kinds of other weird but non-lethal symptoms. Makes life real "fun". All that said, I have NO SYMPATHY WHATSOEVER for Arafart - and I'd be glad to help alleviate the problem by doing a brain tap on his skull - with a .45 at close range.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-9-29 10:54:34 AM  

#3  Actually, Anonymous, Edward Said and Yassir had a falling out back in the early 90s. Said thought Yassir's acceptance of the Oslo process was a sellout. They apparently had partially made up subsequent to the breakdown of the Camp David-Taba process. Apparently, Said wasn't bothered by Yassir's corruption, brutality, etc. was was bothered by Yassir's words about peace even though the words were insincere. Go figure.
Posted by: mhw   2003-9-29 10:27:32 AM  

#2  Sounds like the death ray is doing its job! Crank up the power, boys, and get this over with!
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2003-9-29 9:59:22 AM  

#1  SAID should be awaiting to welcome his hero.
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-9-29 9:41:53 AM  

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