I guess it hasn't hit the wire yet. My MIS guy just gave me the news from a French newspaper.<br /><br /> http://www.proche-orient.info/ <br /><br />The headline says "Arafat died a few minutes ago"<br /><br />It should say The World is a Safer Place Today
Whew! Just when I thought the terror threat was renewed, the world can now rest at ease. Oh, wait a sec, there are a couple of other loose ends out there that need to be tied up.
Wish I could read French!! WOnder why teh AP and others haven't picked it up yet!!?? This is really some big news, but I think everyone knew this was his last day to breathe our air...now, if only OBL would sneak out from under HIS rock...and his groupies...
Latest reports say he is alive. It looks like nobody knows the full story: is he alive or dead, coma or just drifting in and out of conscienceness, etc...
Originally posted by gaugeguy:<br /> Bush just commented "God bless his soul", if he isn't dead, they should pull the plug. I wouldn't waste a AA battery on his life support system.
In a first reaction to the reports from the Israeli government, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suggested caution. "There are conflicting reports and I have instructed government ministers not to express their views on this matter until we have confirmed reports of his condition." <br /><br />Translated: "Don't scream and rejoice till we get official word...
This is too confusing.... I just now saw the news at 1200 central time, they said "contrary to rumors circulating" he is NOT dead. <br />How odd! <br />So who will step up and take his place?
Is it really going to matter much short term? My understanding is that the PLO has no control or influence over Hammas and some of the other Palestinian terrorist groups. I suspect this will spark a power war amongst such groups; maybe that's whats needed with a clear winner identified before real progress can be made. One clear leadership group with whom to negotiate or fight, depending on how it plays out....
POSTED: 6:51 am EST November 4, 2004<br />UPDATED: 12:25 pm EST November 4, 2004<br /><br />PARIS -- French doctors are laying to rest rumors that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has died. They say Arafat is still alive.<br /><br /><br />AP Image<br />Yasser Arafat shakes hands with doctors at his compound in Ramallah, West Bank, before leaving for a French hospital. <br /> <br /><br />Israeli TV is reporting that Arafat has died in a Paris hospital at the age of 75. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said those reports aren't true. <br /><br />Luxembourg's prime minister told reporters at a summit in Brussels, Belgium, that Arafat had died, but he later retracted that, saying through spokesman Lucien Michels that it was "a misunderstanding."<br /><br />A senior Palestinian official has said Arafat is in a coma.
There is the problem "French Doctors!" Are they aware of the fact that no pulse, heart beat or breathing usually results in death. America has to do EVERYTHING!