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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Arafat may have Parkinson's disease, Israeli doctor says ---------------------------------------------------------------------- JERUSALEM (November 16, 1997 10:53 p.m. EST http://www.nando.net) -- An Israeli neurologist said Sunday he believes Yasser Arafat is suffering from Parkinson's disease. Avinoam Reches, a neurologist at Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital, based his diagnosis on the Palestinian leader's television appearances -- including a lengthy interview with Israel's Channel Two in which Arafat's lower lip trembled noticeably. "It is likely that the tremors of his jaw and the slowness of his reaction are symptoms of Parkinson's disease," Reches told The Associated Press. "The future will tell us." Arafat, 68, has denied rumors of his ill health. On Saturday, Arafat was asked by a reporter in Switzerland about his trembling lips and watering eyes. The Palestinian leader attributed them to a bad night's sleep. Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disorder. Symptoms usually start in middle to later life with the trembling of the lips and hands. Copyright 1997 Nando.net Copyright 1997 The Associated Press <http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/world/111697/world20_10913_noframes.html> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- janet [log in to unmask]