[Obit] Opening the box

[khaosworks]

After days of appearing like Schroedinger's cat...



Palestinian leader Arafat dies at 75
Wednesday, November 10, 2004 Posted: 11:14 PM EST (0414 GMT)

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, 75, the leader who passionately sought a homeland for his people but was seen by many Israelis as a ruthless terrorist and a roadblock to peace, died early Thursday in Paris.

Arafat had been sick with an unknown illness that had been variously described as the flu, a stomach virus or gallstones. He flew to Paris last week seeking medical treatment and was hospitalized with what Palestinian officials said was a blood disorder.

For five decades, Arafat -- adorned with his trademark checkered kaffiyeh -- was the most prominent face of Palestinian opposition to Israel and the push for a Palestinian state, first as the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which carried out attacks against Israeli targets, and later as the leader of the quasi-governmental Palestinian Authority after parts of the West Bank and Gaza were returned to Palestinian control.

His death leaves no clear immediate successor in the often fractious world of Palestinian politics.