Inhuman Rumors Plague Arafat

The fight over who will rule is starting in earnest in the Palestinian Authority. Reminds me of the last words of Alexander the Great when asked by his generals, "To whom do you leave the kingdom?" he replied: "To the the strongest". I think Palestine will get settled the same way. No one person is strong enough to hold it together.The future strongmen

...are due to discuss the 75-year-old leader's condition with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier and President Jacques Chirac.

But it was not clear whether the three leaders, all seen as potential successors, would see the critically ill Arafat after his wife accused them of plotting to "bury him alive."

"We had unanimous support from the cabinet today that we should proceed as quickly as possible and come back with factual information that will satisfy the people and end this senseless and really inhuman battle of rumors," Shaath said before leaving for Paris.

The rumors are a plague. But not as big a one as Arafat.