Yassir Arafat is a man who has made a career of surviving. Just when people count him down and out or on death?s door, Arafat storms back to seize the limelight and make subtle adjustments to ensure he is back in the mix. But, time catches up with all of us, including Arafat. On October 29, 2004 Arafat, for the first time in three years, left the Mukata compound in Ramallah, flying via helicoper to Amman and then on to Paris. Arafat was admitted to Percy military hospital in southwest Paris after collapsing Wednesday after a two week illness. He has been suffering from a host of illnesses over the years including heart problems, gallstones, Parkinson disease, as well as the recent symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Some have suggested that he suffers from leukemia or a blood disorder. Even before all the tests had been completed, Palestinian spokeperson Lelia Shahid stood outside Percy Hospital stating that doctors had ?excluded any possibility of leukemia.?

What politically ails Arafat at this point is that he has not been at the center of attention and has been a hostage in his own compound in Ramallah. He has tried to run things from the background but has not been on the world stage as he was in the mid 1990?s. Arafat knows how to survive and reaffirm his leadership position on the world stage. But, while most Palestinian leaders will only speak of their heartfelt grief and wishes for a quick and speedy recovery, there has been a body watch with Arafat. For the last two years, nothing positive has occurred for the Palestinian people, and there has been talk of the failed dreams of a Palestinian state from people in Gaza and the West Bank.