Settlers Council comment on Arafat's health

(28 Oct 2004) SHOTLIST 1. Set up shot Josh Hasten, Settler spokesman: 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Josh Hasten, spokesman for Settlers Council: "Arafat out of the way is a good thing. He is the father of modern terrorism and should have been eliminated a long time ago. Even with him out of the way the Palestinian Authority is still there and that needs to be eliminated. The Palestinian Authority must be wiped out, they are terrorists. Arafat and all his men, they are terrorists - they are known and wanted terrorists - holed up now in the Muqata complex. Hopefully we will be able to catch them now that he is gone....if he is to die, hopefully we can go in and capture those terrorists in the Muqata, we only see his passing as a good thing. He deserves to die, he is a monster, he is a terrorist and that is all I have to say about that." 3. Hasten reading newspaper, with headline about Arafat STORYLINE Jewish settlers on Thursday reacted to news that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is in a serious condition following reports that the 75-year-old leader's persistent two-week illness had taken a sudden turn for the worse. Josh Hasten, spokesman for the Settlers Council in Jerusalem, said that if Arafat were to die, it would be "a good thing" and described him as "the father of modern terrorism". On Wednesday night bodyguards said Arafat vomited after eating soup, then collapsed and was unconscious for about 10 minutes. Aides urgently summoned doctors from Jordan and Egypt, and Arafat's wife, Suha was en route to the West Bank from Tunis to be by his side. Mrs. Arafat lives in Paris, and has not seen her husband since 2001. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is reportedly "closely monitoring" the sudden deterioration in Arafat's health. On Thursday, he called an emergency meeting with defence officials to assess the repercussions should his old nemesis die. Sharon agreed in a phone conversation with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia to let Arafat travel abroad to receive medical treatment, but no time or destination was discussed, a spokesman said. The two did not discuss if Arafat would be allowed to return. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said a Palestinian Authority without Arafat could become a partner for peace. Israel was scrambling Thursday to deflect any blame for the deterioration in Arafat's health. The Palestinian leader has been confined to his compound by Israel for more than two years, and his aides have said his difficult living conditions have contributed to his health problems. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...