Arafat's Health Deteriorates

Yasser Arafat's health worsened Wednesday and a team of doctors went to his compound to examine the Palestinian leader, according to a Palestinian official close to Arafat.

Arafat had been ill over the past two weeks, suffering from what Palestinian officials said was a lengthy bout of the flu. Israeli officials speculated he might have stomach cancer, but two of Arafat's doctors said Wednesday that a blood test, combined with a biopsy of tissue taken from his digestive tract, showed he does not have cancer of the digestive tract.

Late Wednesday, Arafat's condition deteriorated and his doctors rushed to his room to examine him, an official in Arafat's office said.

Soon after, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas were summoned to Arafat's compound, the official said.

The two entered Arafat's room, but other Palestinian officials were kept out, the official said.

Arafat spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh later told reporters that Arafat remained in good health and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah had offered to send medical teams Thursday for follow-up checks.

"President Arafat still needs more rest ... The situation is stable now, he is in a stable condition, but he needs more rest and more medical care," he told reporters. He refused to answer any questions.

Many Palestinian officials — including security officials — arrived at Arafat's compound, the muqata, and were seen milling about the courtyard outside.

Israeli security officials said they were aware that something had happened to Arafat, but they did not know details. However, the Palestinians had not asked Israel for permission to move Arafat to a hospital.

A hospital official said Tuesday that Arafat was suffering from a large gallstone. The gallstone, while extremely painful, is not life-threatening and can be easily treated, the official told The Associated Press.

As CBS News Reporter Tali Aronsky reports, Arafat's latest health problems come at a time of unprecedented political and security instability in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, raising fears that his death could trigger a bloody power struggle among the top brass of the Palestinian leadership.

Arafat's health has been the subject of intense speculation. His aides have insisted that the Palestinian leader is recovering from a bad case of the flu, and is not suffering from a serious illness. However, they have played down his health problems in the past, apparently to avoid making him appear weak.

One of his doctors said earlier Wednesday that Arafat's medical team was concerned that he did not appear to be improving after nearly two weeks of sickness.

The 75-year-old Arafat has refused to groom a successor, for fear of nurturing a rival who could threaten his rule, and no clear challenger has emerged.

In the past two years, he has worn out two Palestinian prime ministers, Abbas and Qureia, with political maneuvers and has blocked their attempt to limit his powers.

On Wednesday, Arafat continued to rest, and broke his Ramadan fast for a second straight day, aides said.

After doctors diagnosed the gallstone Tuesday, Arafat underwent more medical tests at the urging of his doctors.

A member of the medical team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a blood test showed no signs of cancer. A second doctor involved in Arafat's treatment said that a biopsy of tissue taken from the Palestinian leader Monday during an endoscopy — or exam of his digestive tract — also showed no signs of cancer.

Teams of Egyptian and Tunisian doctors have examined Arafat in recent days.

The exams were conducted at Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Arafat has not left the sandbagged, partially demolished compound since 2002 because of Israeli threats he would not be allowed to return.

Arafat's doctors have equipped two rooms in the compound with medical equipment so routine tests can be carried out there, instead of in a hospital.

A medical official involved in the testing Monday said the clinic contains X-ray and ultrasound machines, as well as equipment for emergency resuscitation. During the test, Arafat was in his pajamas and wore a blue wool hat, instead of his trademark black-and-white checkered headscarf, the medical official said.

Palestinian doctors and lab workers conducted the tests, which were then analyzed by five visiting specialists from Tunisia.

Arafat chatted with the visitors, telling them about previous Israeli incursions into his compound.

The medical official said Arafat continues to sleep in a small room, which has only one window and is furnished with a bed and a closet, even though a new, sunnier room has been refurbished for him on another floor.

From his small window, Arafat looks out on rubble and heaps of cars flattened in previous Israeli raids.

Author Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Anwar Sadat Professor of Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, says Arafat is a man who holds many titles, and the attention of many around the world.

"No question that he is, in the eyes of many Palestinians and Arabs around the world, really a founder, in a way, of the modern Palestinian movement," Telhami says.

"His role, therefore, cannot just be measured by the formal positions he holds – that is, president of the Palestinian Authority, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization - but also by this historic role, that is very central."