soul

of blessed memory

continued from page 47

Abbas’ Health Possibly Deteriorating

Palestinian Terrorist Attempts
To Stab Soldiers, Shot Dead

48

August 3 • 2017

jn

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas,
Jan. 18, 2017

leadership, Haaretz reported. While
Israel has accused the Palestinian leader
of inciting violence and terror, especially
over the Temple Mount, Israel security
officials also coordinate with the PA and
are concerned with any power vacuums
that may emerge atop the PA if Abbas
were to leave office or die.
According to reports, Abbas is gener-
ally considered to be healthy, but was
treated for prostate cancer during the
past decade and was also diagnosed with
heart problems. In June, Abbas dismissed
reports that he had suffered a stroke.
Abbas is overweight and purported to
be a heavy smoker, but recently substi-
tuted his tobacco habit with electronic
cigarettes. •

WISAM HASHLAMOUN/FLASH90

Israel’s security establishment is closely
monitoring the health condition of
Palestinian Authority (PA) President
Mahmoud Abbas after he was hospital-
ized last weekend at the Al Istishari
Hospital near Ramallah.
At the hospital, Abbas reportedly
underwent “routine checks,” including
blood tests and X-rays. The hospital’s
director, Dr. Fathi Abu Mughli, stated
that the PA leader left after 90 minutes,
the Associated Press reported. “The
results are good,” said Mughli, without
elaborating.
PA officials stated that Abbas, 82, was
admitted to the hospital after suffer-
ing from fatigue caused by the stressful
events of the past two weeks concerning
the Temple Mount.
Throughout the 13-day crisis, Abbas
purportedly endured a far more rigor-
ous schedule than usual in order to keep
up with the rapidly unfolding events
and maintain constant contact with
Palestinian, Arab and Western officials.
Both Israeli and Palestinian sources
assessed that Abbas’s health has deterio-
rated during recent months and could
hasten the process of choosing new PA

WISAM HASHLAMOUN

JNS.ORG

Israeli security
forces at the scene
of an attempted
stabbing at the
Gush Etzion
Junction in Samaria
July 28

JNS.ORG

A Palestinian terrorist who attempt-
ed to stab Israeli soldiers at the Gush
Etzion Junction in Samaria was shot
dead Friday.
“The Palestinian arrived at the
scene armed with a knife and ran
toward IDF soldiers,” the IDF said in
a statement. The assailant was shot
and killed. No injuries to IDF forces
were reported.
Meanwhile, after Palestinian riots
last Thursday ended with more than

100 people injured, Friday’s Muslim
prayers on the Temple Mount ended
peacefully. However, clashes between
Palestinian protestors and Israeli
security forces continued near
Bethlehem.
In Jordan, hundreds also took to
the streets to protest Israel, calling
for the end of the country’s 1994
peace treaty with Israel. Protestors
chanted “Death to Israel” and “No
Zionist embassy on Jordanian soil,”
AFP reported. •