Palestinian National Authority(PAN) Chairman Yasser Arafat's health had
begun to deteriorate as of Wednesday night, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz quoted
Palestinian sources as saying.
According to the report, senior Palestinian officials, including current
Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, and the heads
of various Palestinian security forces, are currently in his Ramallah
headquarters.
A team of doctors are also there to check on him. Palestinian cabinet
minister Saeb Erekat said he had seen the75-year-old leader earlier on Wednesday
and Arafat "was still recovering from stomach flu."
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said on Tuesday that Arafat was in
pain because of serious "intestinal flu", but doctors flown in from Egypt and
Tunisia expected him to be feeling much better in a few days. Shaath said the
doctors had ruled out stomach cancer.
Confined to his headquarters for the past two years by Israeli forces, Arafat
underwent a minor diagnostic procedure on Monday after complaining of stomach
pains. Palestinian officials said then that an endoscopy found no serious
ailment.
Questions about Arafat's health have raised Palestinian fears of a bloody
succession struggle after his death since he has never picked a successor.