Yasser Arafat is in critical condition and doctors are trying to save his life, a P.A. Cabinet minister told the Jerusalem Post last night.

“President Arafat is dying,” said the minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Israel said it will allow Mr. Arafat to be moved “anywhere” to receive medical treatment and also said that any medical equipment can be brought into Ramallah. Israel has also given Egypt permission to send a special medical team to Ramallah.

The Israel Defense Force is on alert and monitoring the situation in the event of Mr. Arafat’s death, officials said. Security forces will be prepared to deal with expected protests and gatherings to mourn his death, and the onslaught of foreign dignitaries and diplomats who will flock to the area to express condolences. Officials said Israel is ready for all possible scenarios should Mr. Arafat die.

The Cabinet minister refused to confirm or deny reports that Mr. Arafat, 75, had lost consciousness. CNN quoted sources as saying that Mr. Arafat has been unable to keep food down for the past 10 days and has been vomiting repeatedly. Meanwhile, Mr. Arafat’s wife, Suha, and daughter, Zahwa, will visit the Palestinian leader today. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has allowed Mrs. Arafat’s entry into Ramallah, Israel Radio reported.

The Palestinian Arab security forces were put on high alert in the wake of the reports about Mr. Arafat’s worsening health.

However, Arafat spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Mr. Arafat’s condition is stable, Israel Radio reported. A Palestinian official in Mr. Arafat’s office said the Palestinian leader had created a special committee of three senior officials, including Prime Minister Qurei, to run Palestinian affairs while Mr. Arafat was incapacitated.

Other Palestinian officials, including his spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh, denied that such a committee had been formed. President Mubarak of Egypt is sending a medical team to Ramallah this morning, Mr. Rdeneh said.

According to Palestinian Authority law, next in line to take over the P.A. leadership should Mr. Arafat be incapacitated is Rouhi Fattouh, the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and an Arafat confidante.

However, the Palestine Liberation Organization – which is an umbrella group of which the P.A. is a part – said that former Prime Minister Abbas, or Abu Mazen, is next in line to succession because he is still the secretary general of the PLO.

Sources said that the Palestinian Arabs will have to decide soon on succession if Mr. Arafat is incapacitated, and added that the decision may have to wait until Mrs. Arafat gets to Ramallah from the Jordanian border.

The Palestinian Authority has not yet requested permission from the IDF to allow Mr. Arafat to leave his compound to seek treatment, but Israel announced last night that its previous authorization to allow Mr. Arafat to leave the compound and seek medical treatment at Ramallah Hospital still stands.

Doctors in Ramallah announced that medical tests have shown that the Palestinian leader does not have cancer. The diagnosis, confirmed by a blood test, comes a day after a hospital official said Mr. Arafat had a large gallstone.

Sources said Mr. Arafat’s aides have asked for medical teams from Arab countries to arrive in Ramallah by today, most likely from Tunisia and Egypt. Three Tunisian doctors arrived last week and have been monitoring the Palestinian leader.

Mr. Arafat’s latest health problems come at a time of unprecedented political and security instability in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, raising fears that his death could trigger a bloody power struggle among the top brass of the Palestinian leadership.

A day after undergoing an endoscopy test, Mr. Arafat was forced on Tuesday to break his Ramadan fast in order to receive medication and liquids.

P.A. officials who visited Mr. Arafat made every effort to play down the severity of his illness, saying he had been diagnosed with a large gallstone and was on his way to full recovery. The officials dismissed as “lies” reports that Mr. Arafat was suffering from stomach cancer.