Emergency team of doctors arrive to attend Arafat

[Minstrel Boy]

Emergency team of doctors arrive to attend Arafat

Oct. 23, 2004, Jerusalem Post

Six Tunisian doctors arrived in Ramallah Saturday night amid growing concern for the health of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

The 75-year-old Arafat has been reported unwell for more than a week, supposedly with a severe flu. But the dramatic request to Israel to grant permission for a medical examination by the Tunisian specialists has heightened speculation about the severity of his illness.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom approved the Tunisian government's request to send the medical team to Ramallah.

...

On Friday night, Arafat's aides summoned the Tunisian representative to Ramallah, Ahmed al-Habasi, and requested that the Tunisian government urgently send a medical team to examine Arafat.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1098520962519

[aquart]

1. Do his people get such attention?

[Minstrel Boy]

4. The same could be asked of

cardiac kid Dick Cheney's "people," and with better cause.

[mike_c]

5. no, the Israelis often don't even let ambulances get to them...

...let alone actual doctors.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Dr. Kissinger wasn't in attendance, was he? n/t

[saigon68]

3. No he's sitting this one out

As usual

[onenote]

6. October surprise

Arafat dies of natural causes. Bush claims credit.

onenote

[Newsjock]

7. Who picked "Arafat" in the October Surprise pool?

I'll bet that one pays pretty well.

[AnyMajorDudeTellYou]

8. If only they cared for the innocent little people as much

Last I hear was that arafat was going to fast for Ramadan in spite of his ill health. My hope is that someone that really cares about the plight of the people under his thumb will take over and stop the terrorism that is destroying their chances of a future.

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. He should have gotten one of those flu shots

I'm sure that the Canadians would have let him visit to get one.

[DemFromMem]

10. This is where Bush's disengagement policy becomes dangerous

I'm quite pro-Israel, but I've been greatly disturbed by Bush's policy of disengaging from the peace process. Sharon has fortunately started to move to the left on his own (maybe he is seeing his own mortality and his close personal friendship with Shimon Peres could be a factor). But if Arafat goes, the US is going to have to get re-engaged quickly and Bush's credibility is so shot that I'm not sure he's going to be in a position to do anything.