Fayyad released from hospital; expected to recover

PA prime minister discharged from Texas medical center after reported heart attack; undergoes procedure to open clogged artery.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was released from a Texas hospital on Tuesday and was expected to make a complete recovery following a procedure to open a clogged artery, the Associated Press reported.
On Monday, a Palestinian government spokesman said that Fayyad suffered a heart attack while visiting the United States.
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Fayyad was in Austin, Texas, where he was attending his son's university graduation, when he "felt a strong pain" on Sunday, spokesman Ghassan Khatib told Reuters from Ramallah.
Khatib said Fayyad underwent a catheterization on Monday at Seton Medical Center in Austin.
Fayyad's future as prime minister has been up in the air following a reconciliation deal struck this month between the Fatah Palestinian faction that governs the West Bank and the Hamas Islamist faction that holds sway in the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian daily Al-Ahram's website reported on Wednesday that Fayyad has been ruled out as a candidate for the premiership of the forthcoming transitional Palestinian unity government.
Both Fatah and Hamas had initially put forth four names each as possible candidates to lead the new government but the list was subsequently reduced and Fatah was no longer suggesting Fayyad for the position, according to the report.
In Washington, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent Fayyad a note wishing him a speedy recovery, according to a statement issued by Netanyahu’s spokesman.