MIDDLE EAST: An ailing Yasser Arafat is to be flown early this morning to Jordan and then on to Paris for medical treatment.
Israel has confirmed it will lift its travel ban on the Palestinian leader and allow him to leave his compound in Ramallah, and return after receiving treatment.
The condition of Mr Arafat (75), who lost consciousness on Wednesday evening and was said to be critical, was yesterday described as stable but serious. His aides released a picture of Mr Arafat, who remains the most potent symbol of Palestinian national aspirations, in blue pyjamas looking drawn and pale but smiling, and surrounded by his doctors in his compound.
Last night Palestinian bulldozers were clearing an area outside Mr Arafat's office so that helicopters could land to fly him to Amman.
The French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, confirmed the arrangements for Mr Arafat to be flown to Paris.
Mr Arafat's doctors said last night that he was suffering from a low platelet count, which could have a variety of causes, including cancer.
There has been speculation in Israel that the Palestinian leader might be suffering from stomach cancer.
Earlier this week Mr Arafat underwent medical tests, including an endoscopy. His aides had said he was suffering from gastric flu, while one doctor said a gall stone had been discovered.
Last night Mr Arafat's personal physician, Dr Ashraf Kurdi, said the Palestinian leader's condition was not life-threatening.
"His condition is good, his spirits are high," he said. There were reports, however, that Mr Arafat was not coherent for parts of yesterday.
Medical sources said he had been suffering frequent relapses and sometimes appeared dazed and did not recognise those around him.
For many years Mr Arafat has suffered from shaking - symptomatic of Parkinson's disease.
However, aides have said the shaking is the result of a 1992 airplane crash.
His wife, Suha, who lives in Paris, arrived in Ramallah last night to be with him.
The Palestinian leader has been confined to his compound for almost three years, following Israeli threats - some ministers suggested he might be a target for assassination - and because of his fear that if he left, he would not be allowed back by Israel.
Israeli officials held meetings yesterday to discuss possible "day after" scenarios.
These included discussion on possible chaos in the territories following Mr Arafat's departure; the possibility of a new Palestinian leadership; how to handle large crowds of mourners if Mr Arafat were to die; and where he would be buried.
There have been reports that a three-man team, including the Prime Minister, Mr Ahmed Korei, and his predecessor, Mr Mahmoud Abbas, will run the Palestinian Authority in Mr Arafat's absence.
The possible departure of Mr Arafat sparked a wave of speculation in Israel yesterday over the impact this would have on the moribund peace process, and the plan of the Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
Mr Sharon's plan to unilaterally pull out of Gaza is based on the notion that as long as Mr Arafat is in power, there is no partner on the Palestinian side with whom he can negotiate.
If Mr Arafat is no longer around, then the central assumption of his disengagement plan falls away, opening the way to negotiations with the Palestinians, if a stable leadership emerges.
A senior aide to Mr Sharon said yesterday that while it was too early to speculate about the impact on the Prime Minister's Gaza plan were Mr Arafat to die, "we can reconsider our overall disengagement plan" if a new Palestinian leadership showed it was ready to "fight terrorism" and undertake reforms.
Mr Arafat shared a Nobel Peace prize with Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, but bloodshed swiftly followed failed peace talks in 2000.