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So it isn't AIDS, nor poisoning.... I think the explination that God struck him down to be more and more likely. Then again, he was so freaking old, it had to take more than old age to bring the man down.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- French medical records show it is highly unlikely that poisoning or AIDS caused the death of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in a Paris hospital last year, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
The newspaper, in a report from Jerusalem, said it obtained the records and they showed Arafat died of a stroke that resulted from a bleeding disorder caused by an unknown ailment.
An independent review of the records, The New York Times said, showed that despite extensive testing, Arafat's doctors could not determine the underlying disease that killed him. (Watch the video with some of the last images of Arafat -- 2:21)
Arafat died on November 11 at the age of 75 after being rushed from his West Bank compound to a French military hospital.
Arafat's gaunt appearance as he emerged from his headquarters and was taken to a helicopter on the start of his final journey to France led to speculation he was suffering from AIDS.
But The New York Times said independent experts who reviewed the medical records at its request determined that the course of Arafat's illness and pattern of his symptoms made AIDS highly unlikely.
"They also suggest that poisoning was highly unlikely," the newspaper added, although senior Palestinian officials continue to allege he was indeed poisoned.
According to the New York Times, a senior Palestinian official, who it did not name, gave the medical records to two Israeli journalists who agreed to share them in collaboration with the U.S. newspaper, which did its own investigation.
The newspaper said Arafat did not receive antibiotics until 15 days after the onset of his illness, which was originally diagnosed as a flu. By the time he reached France, it added, it was probably too late to save him.
Some 10 days after Arafat's death, his nephew, current Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa, said medical records he received from the French Defence Ministry showed no trace of known poisons in the late Palestinian leader.
But in his comments last year, Kidwa refused to rule out foul play, noting the 558-page medical report gave no clear diagnosis of what caused his uncle's death.
French doctors have refused to publish Arafat's medical records, citing strict privacy laws.
Arafat's aides had quoted doctors as saying he had weight loss and a low count of platelets, which help the blood to clot. They later said he had gone into a coma, suffered a brain hemorrhage and lost the use of his vital organs one by one.
Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The newspaper, in a report from Jerusalem, said it obtained the records and they showed Arafat died of a stroke that resulted from a bleeding disorder caused by an unknown ailment.
An independent review of the records, The New York Times said, showed that despite extensive testing, Arafat's doctors could not determine the underlying disease that killed him. (Watch the video with some of the last images of Arafat -- 2:21)
Arafat died on November 11 at the age of 75 after being rushed from his West Bank compound to a French military hospital.
Arafat's gaunt appearance as he emerged from his headquarters and was taken to a helicopter on the start of his final journey to France led to speculation he was suffering from AIDS.
But The New York Times said independent experts who reviewed the medical records at its request determined that the course of Arafat's illness and pattern of his symptoms made AIDS highly unlikely.
"They also suggest that poisoning was highly unlikely," the newspaper added, although senior Palestinian officials continue to allege he was indeed poisoned.
According to the New York Times, a senior Palestinian official, who it did not name, gave the medical records to two Israeli journalists who agreed to share them in collaboration with the U.S. newspaper, which did its own investigation.
The newspaper said Arafat did not receive antibiotics until 15 days after the onset of his illness, which was originally diagnosed as a flu. By the time he reached France, it added, it was probably too late to save him.
Some 10 days after Arafat's death, his nephew, current Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa, said medical records he received from the French Defence Ministry showed no trace of known poisons in the late Palestinian leader.
But in his comments last year, Kidwa refused to rule out foul play, noting the 558-page medical report gave no clear diagnosis of what caused his uncle's death.
French doctors have refused to publish Arafat's medical records, citing strict privacy laws.
Arafat's aides had quoted doctors as saying he had weight loss and a low count of platelets, which help the blood to clot. They later said he had gone into a coma, suffered a brain hemorrhage and lost the use of his vital organs one by one.
Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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