Still Dead
November 05, 2004 | Aussie Dave | Comments
Terrorfat not dead yet, but is still on life support? I don’t believe it. Just look at all the events of yesterday. The PA could not stick with any one story regarding Terrorfat’s condition.
He is in a coma. No, he’s not in a coma at all. He is just resting. Actually, he had alot of medication. He is doing fine. His condition is difficult. He is suffering a setback.
Then news came that he was clinically dead. Even the Prime Minister of Luxembourg believe it to be true. And then the denials began.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker had said Thursday that Arafat died in hospital. “[He] passed away 15 minutes ago,” Juncker told reporters on arrival at a European Union summit in Brussels when asked what he knew about Arafat’s condition. Juncker later retracted his statement, after speaking to French President Jacques Chirac.Earlier Thursday, French officials and a French radio station, Radio Monte Carlo, had reported the Palestinian leader’s death.The reports were denied by PA officials, including Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and senior adviser Mohammed Rashid.
As the Israeli commentators surmised, the PA are probably trying to make sure that they are somewhat prepared for the ensuing anarchy that will prevail in the PA-controlled territories once news of his death is received. So they are waiting until the right time to break the news. And the French, including Chirac, are complicit with them (as usual).
Even on the off chance that the PA and French are actually telling the truth, and he really is not yet clinically dead, Terrorfat is still a goner. So as far as I am concerned, you can already take out the champagne.
Update: CNN just reported that there is speculation that Terrorfat will remain on life support until negotiations between PA, French and Israeli officials, regarding his place of burial, are concluded. This is necessary since Islamic law requires burial within 24 hours of death (this is not to say that he is not already clinically dead).
11:15AM: Laurence, my partner-in-crime over at Arafat is full of cr*p, has quote of the day:
The man can’t even die honestly.
I couldn’t agree more.
11:20AM: Another possible reason - The Show Me The Money! scenario (Hat tip: Peter):
Israeli and Palestinian officials said Arafat died on Thursday in a military hospital in Paris. They said Arafat was deemed clinically dead, but is still attached to life support systems on the insistence of his wife, Suha.Palestinan Authority’s Yasser Arafat: Abbas and Qurei sought to acquire his power to allocate money as the PA chairman departed for Paris. But as he boarded a Jordanian Air Force helicopter, Arafat refused. “I’m still alive, thank God, so don’t worry,” Arafat was quoted as saying. Reuters/Loay Abu Haykel
“He is dead, but neither Arafat’s wife nor the Palestinian leadership is ready to announce this,” a PA official said. “The announcement could take place on Friday.”The problem is that Arafat is still the only Palestinian official who can pay the bills. And it is unclear who, if anyone, has access to the estimated $2-3 billion in his personal Swiss bank accounts, according to a report in the current edition of Geostrategy-Direct.com. Even his wife is said to be unaware of how to access the funds.
Which is a real problem, since he is brain dead. So Suha’s/the PA’s chances of finding out this information are even worse than the chances of Terrorfat being buried on the Temple Mount.
1:55PM: Another great quote, this time from member of the Knesset Tommy Lapid:
“Arafat won`t be buried in Jerusalem, because Jerusalem is the city where Jewish kings are buried and not Arab terrorists.”
2:15PM: I can’t keep track of all the lies and contradictions. Here are some more to ponder…First up, we have the appropriately named Leila Shahid:
“I assure you that he is not brain dead,” she said. “He is in a coma. We are not sure what type. But it is a reversible coma,” Leila Shahid, the permanent Palestinian envoy to Paris, told French RTL radio.
Yet we are also hearing this:
“Arafat is unconscious and has undergone a general systems collapse,” a high-level Palestinian official told Haaretz Thursday night. “He is being aided by respiratory machines and his condition appears irreversible, but reports of his death are not true.”
I also have to laugh at this:
Shahid ruled out the possibility of Arafat resigning as president of the Palestinian Authority.“There is no reason. Why resign? … Palestinian institutions provide for a vice-president for all the posts held by Yasser Arafat, and the vice-presidents will take over if need be.”
Why resign? I would have thought the question is How on Earth can he resign? I mean, c’mon, he’s dead.
2:35PM: The Jerusalem Post reports:
According to Palestinian sources, there are preparations underway for the funeral of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser.Expectations are that he will be buried in the Gaza Strip although Jordan and Egypt have reportedly offered to let him be buried in their countries. Arafat’s sister is buried in Gaza.Palestinian officials also denied Friday that Arafat had asked to be buried on the Temple Mount or left any will to that effect.
Reading between the lines, this means that Sharon has made good on his promise that Terrorfat won’t be buried on the Temple Mount. And the PA have realized that they can’t do anything about it. So they are downplaying Terrorfat’s wish to be buried there, so as to placate the PLO Arab masses.
Filed Under: General
About the Author: An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.
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