Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was admitted to Istishari Arab Hospital in Ramallah for the third time in less than a week between May 15 and 21. There have been conflicting accounts of his condition, although doctors were satisfied with the results of the medical tests that followed Abbas’ ear surgery on May 15.

Abbas was hospitalized again and admitted to the hospital May 20 because of a lung infection accompanied with a 40 C (104 F) fever, and he was given intravenous antibiotics.

This is not the first time the 82-year-old president has been hospitalized this year. He was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland in February, and it was unknown whether he had a health problem or just went in for a routine checkup. This naturally draws attention to what could be the beginning of the end for Abbas’ presidency and all the arrangements that may be taking place behind the scenes in preparation for any sudden news regarding his health.

A Palestinian official close to Abbas told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The president, much like any other person, gets sick and recovers, and given his age and the burdens he carries on his shoulders, it is only normal for him to get tired. However, rushing into discussing turning the page would not be wise. His associates still send him reports to the hospital and he only needs to rest for a while. But Palestinian constitutional institutions [such as the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the Palestinian Central Committee or the Executive Committee of the PLO)] have the right to discuss any political or legal arrangements to manage the Palestinian situation in anticipation of any emergency.”