Fatah Official: Abbas biopsied in U.S., shows nothing wrong

“He had a minor health problem. So he did a check. The doctors took a biopsy from him and we now know he has nothing wrong.”

By ADAM RASGON
Updated: MARCH 12, 2018 00:26
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks following a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks following a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Doctors at a hospital in the United States performed a biopsy on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last month that showed he is healthy, Jabril Rajoub, a senior Fatah official, said. He did not say what body part was biopsied or for what diagnostic purpose.
Rajoub, secretary-general of the Fatah Central Committee, made the comment during an interview Saturday night with official Palestinian Authority television.
In late February, several Palestinian officials said Abbas had undergone “routine” checks at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, but did not say what those checks involved.
“He had a minor health problem. So he did a check. [The doctors] took a biopsy from him and [we now know] he has nothing wrong,” Rajoub said.
A biopsy is “a procedure to remove a piece of tissue or a sample of cells from your body,” the Mayo Clinic website says.
Biopsies are typically performed to analyze what appear on an x-ray or scan to be abnormalities, a US-based radiologist said in a phone call on Sunday.
Last week, Haaretz reported that Abbas’s health had recently deteriorated. However, the report did not specifically describe how his health was alleged to have declined.
Rajoub said he was convinced Abbas will live longer than many other top Fatah officials.
“The brother Abu Mazen is in good health,” he said, referring to Abbas's nickname. “I am still convinced that he will bury at least half of the Fatah Central Committee. He is undertaking his role. He is awake, aware and filled on all the details.”
In 2016, Abbas underwent a cardiac catheterization, a procedure used to diagnose and treat heart problems, which doctors said at the time showed normal results.