Israel revealed that when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 83, was close to death last year, an Israeli specialist helped save his life.
In May 2018, while Abbas was suffering from pneumonia at a Ramallah hospital and his doctors feared a complete system shutdown, Israel sent a specialist to help treat him, according to Yedioth Ahronoth daily.
While the Palestinian Authority did all it could to "mislead the public and the media about Abbas' real condition," Israel learned of his rapidly deteriorating condition and decided to offer the Palestinians to treat him at an Israeli hospital, where he could receive the most advanced medical care, the newspaper said.
Palestinians decided to politely reject the offer, fearing such a move would be met with harsh criticism from the Palestinian public. Yet, Palestinian officials expressed their gratitude, it said.
Israel, in turn, decided to send a specialist to Ramallah, who joined the team of foreign doctors already treating the PA leader in an effort to stabilize his condition. After two days of intensive care, the Palestinian leader got better, and a week later he was discharged from the hospital, the report added.
Abbas was also hospitalized in the United States for medical checks last February during a trip to address the UN Security Council.
