Yassir Arafat Declared 'Brain Dead'

[Vicsun]

Here is the Sky scoop.

ARAFAT 'BRAIN DEAD' - REPORTS

Yasser Arafat is brain dead, according to Israeli television quoting French sources.

The 75-year-old Palestinian leader's health has been reported to be deteriorating by the hour but there is still no official confirmation of his death.

However, Palestinian officials have denied the reports and say his condition has not changed.

More Follows...

edit: False alarm. He apparently just went into coma. AFP scoop below.

Arafat 'is not dead': French military official (04/11/2004)


CLAMART, France (AFP) Yasser Arafat "is not dead," the top medical official for the the French defence forces said outside the military hospital in a Paris suburb treating the 75-year-old Palestinian leader.

"His clinical situation has become more complex," General Christian Estripeau told reporters Thursday.

[dragon wench]

Oh great... Arafat is likely close to dying, the leader of the UAE (a moderating force) has just died... and Bush has been re-elected... I feel oh so secure about the chances of at least some stability in the Middle East

[C Elegans]

Reports have differed all day between Arafat is in a coma, he is not in a coma, and lately, brain dead. In any case, this looks like the end for the PLO leader who devouted his life to fight for the Palestinian rights to their land.

[CM]

Good riddence to bad rubbish i say. I would have been happier if an Israeli bullet got him instead.

[dragon wench]

Quote:

Originally Posted by C Elegans Reports have differed all day between Arafat is in a coma, he is not in a coma, and lately, brain dead. In any case, this looks like the end for the PLO leader who devouted his life to fight for the Palestinian rights to their land.

Yes.. While I think he likely was corrupt in many regards, he was deeply committed to fighting for those rights, and I respected that.
I think, though, it is very unfortunate he did not really plan for a successor... This will not help an already volatile situation...

[Vicsun]

I realize this is in bad taste, but I have to agree with CM here. I'm not really sure his death is a bad thing as far as the peace process is concerned. His personal characteristics aside, many leaders* have said they will not negotiate with Palestine while Arafat is in power, so it is my secret hope that the peace process can now move forward.

Now if only Sharon could somehow magically disappear as well...


*Israel and the United States

[fable]

I think DW's assessment is balanced and accurate. Arafat was part of a generation that saw clearly the need for a Palestinian homeland. He was extremely effective on a one-to-one basis, but he followed an old, patriarchal clan model of rulership (with all the corruption and nepotism that involves), and he made an ineffective media champion for his cause to the outside world.

I'll be curious to see what the PLO leadership--not who, but what. There are many competing factions vying for power, and whomever is put in command will be at the behest of those who agreed to his leadership. I'm also curious to see how the Israeli leadership deals with the fact that one of their main excuses for not having talks is gone. Of course, they'll never lack for excuses, but still...

[C Elegans]

I agree with DW and Fable here. Arafat's outdated leading style was clearly disruptive in some aspects, especially in recent times, but without Arafat the world would have forgotten about the Palestininan cause long ago, as it forgotten Chechnya or Kurdistan.

This life long struggle for a fair cause, Arafat deserves respect for.

Obviously it was unwise of Arafat to decline the offer posed by Israel after the Oslo peace talks, but I also think it is understandable that if another state occupy your land in violation of the Geneva convention, you are not willing to accept a compromise solution where only parts of the land is returned. I know that Israel and the US has often accused Arafat and the PLO for not accepting what they claimed was a "generous offer" and that the Palestines thus have themselves to blame, but I can't see how it's a "generous offer" to illegally occupy land and then make an offer to give parts of it back during conditions where basic Palestinians demands were not fufilled.

In any case, if Palestinian authorities can unite and support one leader, it may be of good that Arafat dies. If a moderate like Abbas becomes the new leader, it will be considerably more difficult for Israel to refuse negotiations.

[Morlock]

Finaly. While I can certainly appreciate a man who fought for his people and was an icon, the man was slime. He is a murder of women and children. He deserves to die in a hospital in France of a combination of deseases, a martyr's death or Israel's bullets are too glorious a death for him. I think there's a big question of how he should be remembered. He was vital, without a doubt the single person most responsible for the creation of the Palestinian state. So the end no one can argue with. But this is an explosive case of does the end justify the means, no matter how positive the end is. Can the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians on both sides, a vast amount of them results of this one man, be justified? I find it quite amazing that on the big picture, the means are not justified, but the end is. The means are some of the worst in human history.

The man deserves so much worse then death. But his creation is a massive achievment. I personaly think he should go down in the history books as a terrorist who is a guide to the horror of humanity. He is a murderer of thousands of women and children. He is a liar. He is proof of the sick fact that one terrible human being can bring about great, positive things.

So, yes- good riddance to bad rubbish. On to other things:

It is of course of prime importance who takes over. I don't think there will be a big fight over this. I think the contendors are some form of group involving the more moderate people in the PA- ,Abu-Ala (Qurei), Abu-Mazen (Abbas), Dahlan, maybe Gibril Rajoub, And Hamas at the other end. IMO, Hamas will not be able to take over the PA as some have predicted. I think now that Arafat is dead, and all those guys, particulaly Dahlan, take over- Hamas will become more and more sidelined. Though a whole bunch of assassinations are very possible- I would think Hamas would want to get Dahlan out of the picture as soon as possible.
And now that Bush has 4 years to wrap up his first 4- I suspect he's gonna get a LOT more sympathetic to the Palestinians, mainly in order to try and patch things up with Europe. I do believe that he will stand firm against terror, and against UN condemnation of Israel, but wherever he can- he's gonna be saying a lot of nice things about the Palestinians. I'm interested to hear what he'll say about Arafat's death.

And a side note: It's awefully ironic and thought provoking that he dies on the 9th anniversary of the assassination of Itzhak Rabin.

And as another side note: Arafat has been brain dead for a while.

[C Elegans]

You and I have discussed a lot about this topic previously, so no need to enter that field again but:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morlock And as another side note: Arafat has been brain dead for a while.

Where did you get this information? I have seen different reports all day as I said above. First, French sources reported he was brain dead, then it was denied, then Israeli sources reported he was brain dead and then the French hospital said he is not. Not that it matters a lot since he will likely be dead very soon if he isn't already. Does anyone know what it's wrong with him? I have seen many reports of low platelet count and stomach disease.

For the future @Morlock, which of the possible successors do you think will be most helpful in order to secure the peace process?

[dragon wench]

I have just been hunting around on Google, so far there still seems to be nothing but conflicting information.... Which, IMO, speaks volumes in and of itself...

Here is one story, posted 35 minutes ago apparently:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...658EST0653.DTL

[Morlock]

My comment was more snide than serious- but seriously- he's been making curious choices and comments lately. Been acting strange in interviews.

About his successors- I would be ecstatic if Dahlan took it. I think he's a real beacon of hope there. He used to be a militant, but he's become one of the smartest and most reliable peace makers there. He has massive supports on the street, but his opposition to Arafat and Hamas make him an unlikely contendor. Aside from him- Definately Abu-Mazen (that's what Abbas is called here). He seems to me to genuinly want peace. Abu-Alla (What Qurei is called here) and Rajoub seem to want peace out of pragmatism- not that there's anything wrong with that of course, but IMO Abu-Mazen (as well as Dahlan) really want peace for the good of the Palestinian people. And both are the most widely respected Palestinians in Israel, something that can't hurt.
But, I find myself quite saddened to say- I think Hamas will kill Dahlan. He supports sidelining the movement.

I find so tragic that people are marked for death because they want peace. I was recently having a heated political debate with friends and found myself yelling in the middle- 'Sharon's a dead man'. The man has done so many wrong things, but he's gonna be assassinated by right wing extremists for his attempts at peace. At least unlike Dahlan, he stands a fighting chance, with his security.

[Morlock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench I have just been hunting around on Google, so far there still seems to be nothing but conflicting information.... Which, IMO, speaks volumes in and of itself... Here is one story, posted 35 minutes ago apparently: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...658EST0653.DTL

He's not coming back from France. That much is clear.

[C Elegans]

No, it seems clear that Arafat will not awake again whatever is the most precise definition of his current condition.

Thanks for posting the link, DW. Swedish newspapers currently report that the press secretary for the French hospital has reported that Arafat is not brain dead but in a deep coma and unlikely to awake again.

@Morlock: Thanks for the info, I hope you will keep us here at SYM updated with inside reports of the development. Regarding possible successors, I really hope that Hamas influence will be limited to a minumum. Abbas seems like a good candidate in my eyes, but I am not so familiar with the other candidates. I read that some of the extremist groups (not only Hamas) view Dahlan with suspicion because of his relatively good relationships with the US and Israel, which they view as "siding with the enemy". Maybe you are right that he would be killed if he became the new leader.

I have often wondered what would have happened if Rabbin has not been murdered. I agree with you that it is tragic beyond comprehension that the people who try to work for peace are killed by extremists on their own side.

In any case, I really hope Arafat's death will pave the way for the peace process, but I fear chaos and increased power for the militant groups.

Btw, a side question: why do many people have at least two names and why is European media consequently using the other name than you do for Abbas/Abu Mazen, Qurei/Abu Alla?

[Morlock]

I really have no idea. Over here, no one knows Qurei or Abbas by their real names. Maybe CM can shed some light on this? I know that Arafat is not his given name, but exactly what his real name is is vague.