Yasser Arafat’s Condition: Dead or Alive?

There is a lot of speculation about Yasser Arafat’s condition going on these days.

The rumours and reports have been spilling out that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is clinically dead and that he’s being kept alive by machines.

Two U.S. officials are confirming these reports and saying that French, Israeli and Egyptian officials are already negotiating with Arafat’s family and aides over where he should be buried.

But the Palestinian administration and sources at the French military hospital deny these reports and say that his medical state is “complex” but reversible.

So, even in this world of media and news overload, the truth isn’t always obvious and out there.

Anyway, we’ve seen this same scenario a number of times in the past with King Hussein of Jordan and recently Sheikh Zayed of UAE, and that leads me to believe that the reports that Arafat is clinically dead are true and that it’s just a matter of time before they pull the plug and announce his death officially.

How long before they do it?

Well first they have to negotiate where he’ll be buried. He and his family have always wanted him to be buried in Jerusalem but Israel is fully against that. So a solution that is honorable to a leader of his caliber has to be found.

The Palestinian leadership will also have to organize themselves and coordinate with all Palestinian factions so that a successor to Arafat is chosen and the power transfer is flawless so that they don’t fall into a power void and maybe even some sort of civil war.

It’s a critical time for the Palestinian people and leadership, the loss of their leader and uniting figure, the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.
All precautions have to be taken so that things go on smoothly.