PA's Abbas in 'good health' after medical check in Germany

Palestinian Authority officials dismissed concerns over President Mahmoud Abbas' health ahead of the Palestinian elections.

Al-Monitor Staff
Al-Monitor Staff
Apr 7, 2021
Mahmoud Abbas
President Mahmoud Abbas gestures during a meeting of the Palestinian leadership to discuss the United Arab Emirates' deal with Israel to normalize relations, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Aug. 18, 2020. — MOHAMAD TOROKMAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is in "good health" following a “routine” medical exam in Germany, his office said Wednesday.  

“President Mahmoud Abbas has completed his previously scheduled medical examinations in Germany,” the Palestinian presidency said. “The president is in good health and will return to the homeland on Thursday.”

He is expected to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel while in Berlin.

The 85-year-old Abbas is a heavy smoker and has had several health scares, including prostate cancer. In February 2018, he traveled to Baltimore for a biopsy and other health checks at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. That same year he was hospitalized for pneumonia.

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