'Arafat has suffered heart attack', admits aide

[emad]

London: The Guardian newspaper today reports that:

Yasser Arafat has suffered a mild heart attack but the Palestinian leadership has sought to keep his health problems secret for fear it will "create panic". The 74-year-old Palestinian president, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, disappeared from public view last week and re-emerged at the weekend looking extremely ill. His face was pale and pinched, he had lost weight and he was almost inaudible. He had trouble standing for more than a few minutes at a time.

The Palestinian press said he was suffering from flu. But Palestinian officials told the Guardian that Mr Arafat had suffered a heart attack last week. "Although he has had a slight heart attack, the doctors say he will make a full recovery. He is in full control. There is nothing to worry about," said a close aide to Mr Arafat, who did not wish to be named. Asked why it had not been made public at the time, the official said that it would "have created panic at a critical time when the Israelis are threatening Arafat's life".

At the beginning of last week, the Palestinian president was visited by his personal physician from Jordan, Dr Ashraf al-Kurdi, and a heart specialist, Yousuf al-Qusous, after he abruptly cancelled all appointments and disappeared from view. The doctors said the Palestinian president had been hit by flu but was recovered. "The illness is over, thank God," Dr Kurdi said at the time.

But a few days later, Mr Arafat was again isolated from all but a few close aides. Again, the official explanation was flu. Sources inside the Palestinian leader's compound in Ramallah say he was too weak to eat for several days. When he reappeared at the weekend, regular visitors to Mr Arafat's compound commented on how ill he looked. Yesterday, the Palestinian foreign minister, Nabil Shaath, said Mr Arafat was suffering from a stomach ailment which was believed to be an ulcer. He described him as "very frail".

<snip>

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1058298,00.html

[mddemo]

1. stoking fires

Right now the big chap down below is stoking a fire especially for the old master terrorist, hope he gets to visit his 72 Virginians, and they all have baseball bats.

[robcon]

2. I was about to write the same thing, mddemo.

...about Satan being disappointed so far in not meeting up with one of his most outstanding henchmen.

[LivingInTheBubble]

3. erm

Message edited, it seems I didnt get the joke first read.

[mddemo]

5. yup

yes 72 big bad assed virginians, preferably from the state prison system :)

[emad]

4. Keep 'em burning! Hope there's plenty of room to share with

'blood brothers' like Ariel Sharon and Henry Kissinger.....

[Scurrilous]

6. I think....

...that only Muslims who go to heaven get rewarded, and that reward is 72 virgins...not 'Virginians.'

[mddemo]

7. hell

yeah mayby, but in hell its 72 virginian inmates on a work release program. :)

[dutchdemocrat]

8. I think that one slipped right over head...

Zoooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmm.... lol

[Equinox]

11. Scurrilous! LOL..too funny...people talking out there ass.

I guess George Washington is in hell too for daring to resist.

[The Stranger]

13. You think wrong.

Go read your Bible.

[trof]

9. Maybe stroke?

Saw him on TV yesterday and he looked even worse than usual.
Lips and eyelids very droopy like a stroke victim.

[emad]

10. Arafat and John Paul 2 have either had the same bug or

are seeing the same doctor OR have hired the same spin doctors....... their symptoms have been identical this last fortnight and both have been frantic in making new appointments to their backing vocals.

At least neither of them have been seen in public with a nervous eye twitch, or dribbling with anxiety and looking pinned-out on amphetamines like Tony Blair last week.....

Maybe there's been an outbreak of something or other in the public eye of late

[emad]

12. 14.15BST: PALESTINIANS DENY STORY:

Arafat 'heart attack' denied

A senior member of the Palestinian cabinet has rejected media reports that Yasser Arafat recently suffered a mild heart attack.
The 74-year-old Palestinian leader looked pale and tired during the ceremony to swear in an emergency cabinet on Tuesday and some reports say he needed prompting from his aides. But Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat told the Associated Press news agency that Mr Arafat had not suffered a heart attack, but was battling a stomach virus.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3174110.stm

[TahitiNut]

14. dupe

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=155295

I'm locking this thread. Interested DUers are welcome to continue discussing this in the referenced thread.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,
TahitiNut - DU moderator