CLAMART, France (AP) -- Yasser Arafat's French physicians are refusing to discuss his health crisis, leading to rampant speculation about the Palestinian leader's dramatic deterioration. One Palestinian official ruled out leukemia, while another said it was not a concern "for the time being." A medical guessing game has ensued, with talk of possible blood disorders, poisoning, a viral infection.

Israel's chief of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, did little to clear things up. He told a Cabinet meeting Sunday that Arafat's "situation is between full recovery and death," said an Israeli official who briefed reporters on the meeting.