by Saud Abu Ramadan

    Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath receives interview after the meeting of Palestinian Security Committee in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Oct. 31, 2004. Shaath denied on Sunday that Mahmoud Abbas or Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei would replace Arafat during his medical treatment in Paris. (Xinhua Photo/Gao Xueyu)

    GAZA, Oct. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- During Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's medical checkups and treatment in Paris, no Palestinian officials dare to replace him, even temporarily. Arafat, 75, chairs the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Fatah movement's central committee and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Arafat has become a symbol for the Palestinians' struggle for a statehood over the last four decades.

    He has collected so much power in his hands and many issues could not be settled without his approval and no one could make decisions without consulting him.

    When Mahmoud Abbas, PLO's No. 2, presided a PLO meeting on Saturday, the first time that anyone but Arafat has headed up a meeting of the governing body since 1967, he intentionally shunned the seat of Arafat right in the middle.

    "No one dares to take his place as long as he is still alive. Heis our president. No one would be able to take his place," said Jamal Azziz, a taxi driver in Gaza.

    If any official behaved as if he was replacing Arafat, he might be in trouble and lose supporters for not showing loyalty to Arafat during his illness, he added.

    Mohamed Dahlan, former minister of interior security, who was believed to be one vocal opponent to Arafat in the last couple of years, accompanied Arafat to Paris. ¡¡

    The Islamic and national factions also acted as observers at this sensitive moment, watching the situation without being involved in any action or making any statement that would be interpreted as a takeover.

    The situation in the Palestinian territories during Arafat's absence was ambiguous and confusing, where everyone preferred to keep silent and make no comments until the picture became clear. There are two possible scenarios -- Arafat returns to Ramallah or Gaza after recovery or Arafat may not come back, either he passes away or leads a retired life in exile.

    Palestinian analysts expressed doubts that the aged man in poor health would be able to lead the PNA and PLO again as he used to do over the past 37 years.

    Arafat was airlifted to a French army hospital Friday from his shell-battered compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah in sharply deteriorating health.

    French doctors were checking Arafat for viral infection after tests ruled out leukaemia and any other life-threatening illness.

    Questions about Arafat's health have raised Palestinian fears of a bloody power struggle after his death since he has never picked a successor.

    His absence has also put pressure on hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who labeled Arafat as not a peace partner.

    Israeli analysts wrote in the Ha'aretz daily on Sunday that the demise of Arafat would deprive Sharon of the alibi and force him to restart dialogue with the Palestinians. Enditem