Yasser Arafat dies
2004-11-11 06:09
Ramallah - Yasser Arafat, who triumphantly forced his people's plight into the world spotlight but failed to achieve his lifelong quest for Palestinian statehood, died on Thursday at age 75.
He was to the end a man of many mysteries and paradoxes - terrorist, statesman, autocrat and peacemaker.
Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat confirmed to The Associated Press that Arafat had died. The Palestinian leader spent his final days in a coma at a French military hospital outside Paris.
A hospital spokesperson said Arafat died in intensive care at 03:30 on Thursday.
"Mr Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority, has died at the Percy Military Training Hospital in Clamart on November 11 2004 at 03:30," hospital spokesperson General Christian Estripeau told reporters.
Arafat, 75, was flown to Paris on October 29 for treatment of an undisclosed illness. He fell into a coma a week later and was put on a life support machine.
His health steadily deteriorated and he suffered some brain damage due to hemorrhage. Only his heart and lungs were still functioning, Palestinian officials said on Wednesday.
Murky and dramatic
Arafat's last days were as murky and dramatic as his life. Flown to France on October 29 after nearly three years of being penned in his West Bank headquarters by Israeli tanks, he initially improved but then sharply deteriorated as rumours swirled about his illness.
Top Palestinian officials flew in to check on their leader while Arafat's 41-year-old wife, Suha, publicly accused them of trying to usurp his powers. Ordinary Palestinians prayed for his well-being, but expressed deep frustration over his failure to improve their lives.
Arafat's failure to groom a successor complicated his passing, raising the danger of factional conflict among Palestinians.
- AP