RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was released from hospital on Monday after an eight-day stay and treatment for what officials said was a lung infection.

“Thank God I am leaving the hospital in good health and I will return to work tomorrow,” the 82-year-old leader told reporters in the lobby of the hospital in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. </s> Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is being discharged from hospital, the 83-year-old’s doctor has said.

Mr Abbas was taken to hospital last week with a fever, just days after undergoing ear surgery.

Palestinian officials said he had pneumonia and was on a respirator, receiving antibiotics intravenously.

Yasser Abu Safiyeh said on Sunday that Mr Abbas was kept in a few extra days “to avoid any setback that could be caused by any infection”.

Mr Abbas, who is a heavy smoker and overweight, has a long history of health issues, ranging from heart trouble to a bout of prostate cancer a decade ago.

Two years ago, he underwent an emergency heart procedure after suffering exhaustion and chest pains.

His latest health scare revived anxiety over a potentially chaotic or even bloody succession battle as Mr Abbas currently has no deputy. </s> RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territory — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been discharged from a West Bank hospital after his latest health scare.

Abbas was released on Monday, more than a week after he was hospitalized for fever and pneumonia. The lengthy stay has drawn new attention to the 83-year-old Palestinian leader’s health problems and his refusal to name a deputy or a successor.

Abbas was hospitalized on May 20 with a fever, just days after undergoing ear surgery. Palestinian officials said he had pneumonia and was on a respirator, receiving antibiotics intravenously.

Abbas’ allies have insisted he is in good health, but his release was repeatedly pushed back. </s> RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been discharged from a West Bank hospital after his latest health scare.

Abbas was released on Monday, more than a week after he was hospitalized for fever and pneumonia. The lengthy stay has drawn new attention to the 83-year-old Palestinian leader’s health problems and his refusal to name a deputy or a successor.

Abbas was hospitalized on May 20 with a fever, just days after undergoing ear surgery. Palestinian officials said he had pneumonia and was on a respirator, receiving antibiotics intravenously.

Abbas’ allies have insisted he is in good health, but his release was repeatedly pushed back. </s> RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was released from the hospital on Monday after an eight-day stay and treatment for what officials said was a lung infection.



"Thank God I am leaving the hospital in good health and I will return to work tomorrow," the 82-year-old leader, dressed in a suit and smiling, told reporters before walking out of the hospital in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank.





Abbas, who is a heavy smoker, was admitted on May 20 for what doctors had initially said were medical tests following ear surgery. Officials later said he was being treated for pneumonia.Abbas, who was also hospitalized for medical checks during a trip to address the UN Security Council in February, became president after the death in 2004 of Yasser Arafat.The Western-backed president pursued US-led peace talks with Israel but these broke down in 2014 and his democratic mandate expired eight years ago.There has been no Palestinian presidential election since 2005, and the term of office is only five years. Abbas's authority is essentially limited to the West Bank, with the Islamist group Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip. </s> RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ doctor says the 83-year-old is staying in the hospital — abruptly reversing a previous announcement that he would be discharged.

Abbas was hospitalized last week with a fever, just days after undergoing ear surgery. Palestinian officials said he had pneumonia and was on a respirator, receiving antibiotics intravenously.

Yasser Abu Safiyeh initially said Sunday that Abbas would be discharged, and the media were alerted to the hospital. Then the plan was nixed with no explanation offered.

Abbas, who is a heavy smoker and overweight, has a long history of health issues, ranging from heart trouble to a bout with prostate cancer a decade ago.

Abbas has no deputy. His latest health scare and sudden hospitalization revived anxiety over a potentially chaotic or even bloody succession battle. </s> RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 28 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was released from hospital on Monday after an eight-day stay and treatment for what officials said was a lung infection.

"Thank God I am leaving the hospital in good health and I will return to work tomorrow," the 82-year-old leader, dressed in a suit and smiling, told reporters before walking out of the hospital in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Abbas, who is a heavy smoker, was admitted on May 20 for what doctors had initially said were medical tests following ear surgery. Officials later said he was being treated for pneumonia.

Abbas, who was also hospitalised for medical checks during a trip to address the U.N. Security Council in February, became president after the death in 2004 of Yasser Arafat.

The Western-backed president pursued U.S.-led peace talks with Israel but these broke down in 2014 and his democratic mandate expired eight years ago.

There has been no presidential election since 2005 and the term of office is only five years. His authority is essentially limited to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with the Islamist group Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip. (Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi; writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Jeffrey Heller) </s> Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas left hospital on Monday after eight days of treatment for pneumonia that led to intense speculation over the 83-year-old's condition and who will eventually replace him.

Dressed in a suit as usual and walking without assistance, Abbas gave a short statement on being discharged, saying he planned to be back at work in his office as normal on Tuesday.

"Thanks to God, I left the hospital today in good health and return to work starting tomorrow," he said, speaking vigorously and with his two sons by his side.

He thanked all international leaders who had called about his health and wished him well.

The hospital stint came at a time of heightened US pressure on Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.

Some analysts said Abbas would now seek to refocus on work and downplay talk of stepping down. He is expected to preside over a meeting of the central council of his Fatah party on Tuesday.

Known to be a heavy smoker, Abbas was admitted on May 20 to the Istishari Arab Hospital near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank with complications following an ear operation, including high fever.

Officials have since said he was being treated for pneumonia.

His extended hospitalisation led to widespread speculation over whether his condition was worse than the details being disclosed.

No successor is publicly in line for the Palestinian presidency, which has added to concerns over Abbas's health.

Abbas won a four-year term as president in 2005, but he has since remained in office without further elections.

He argues the split between his Fatah party and Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has made elections politically impossible.

A moderate, Abbas has been involved in decades of negotiations with Israel but is unpopular among Palestinians, with the majority wanting him to step down.

Many Palestinians see his approach to negotiations as having failed to end the Israeli occupation and are no where near the goal of securing statehood.

Israeli officials, while criticising what they see as his intransigence, greatly value the security coordination which his administration has provided.

Abbas succeeded Yasser Arafat, the charismatic keffiyeh-wearing leader who was revered by Palestinians.

Though Abbas has been valued by the international community due to his belief in negotiations and stated opposition to violence, he has struggled to meet Palestinians' expectations left behind by Arafat.

In recent months, Abbas has faced what the Palestinians see as the blatant bias of US President Donald Trump's administration.

Abbas froze all ties with the White House over Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital

The United States has also frozen tens of millions of dollars in aid to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees and has threatened to close the office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Washington.

Abbas has sharpened his rhetoric against US officials.

In a recent speech, he called US ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who has been a supporter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a "son of a dog".

Abbas made reference to Trump's Jerusalem declaration when leaving the hospital, suggesting it had weighed heavily on him.

"If the issue of Jerusalem brought us to the hospital, we wanted to get out of the hospital to make Jerusalem the capital of Palestine," he said.

Israel sees the entire disputed city as its capital, while the Palestinians want the annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

Nour Odeh, a political analyst based in Ramallah, said the president would seek to use the Fatah central council meeting to refocus on the opposition to Israeli and US policy.

"I don't doubt that the recent events will have an impact -- the president is not young," she said, adding he seemed to have been suffering from fatigue in the weeks before his hospitalisation.

Diana Buttu, a former Abbas aide who became a fierce critic, said Abbas would seek to quash all talk of succession.

"He is going to pretend this whole thing didn't happen. It will be business as usual, as though an 83-year-old didn't have serious pneumonia," she told AFP.

"Other politicians know that if they talk about succession they will be out." </s> Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is released from hospital after weeklong stay

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is released from hospital after weeklong stay.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas leaves hospital after eight days of treatment for pneumonia.