Israel and the Palestinians were preparing for the death of Yasser Arafat last night after his health declined dramatically and doctors prepared to fly him to Paris.

The 75-year-old Palestinian leader was unable to hold down his food or stand up, appeared confused and spent most of his time sleeping, said associates.

Arafat's blood tests revealed a low platelet count, his doctors said last night, in the first official statement on the Palestinian leader's medical condition.

The physicians said there could be a variety of causes for a low platelet count, including cancer, and that further testing was needed. Arafat's personal physician, Dr Ashraf Kurdi, said there was no immediate threat to Arafat's life. "His condition is good, his spirits are high," Kurdi said.

Throughout the day, a retinue of doctors from Arab countries kept close watch over Arafat in a small clinic at his compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

It was finally decided to fly him to a Paris hospital for treatment, abandoning an earlier plan to take him by helicopter to Amman, the Jordanian capital. Fifteen doctors, including specialists from Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt, examined Arafat yesterday and said he would be able to get the best treatment in the French capital. His departure would mark the first time that Arafat had left his battered, sandbagged headquarters since he was confined there by Israel in 2002.

Israeli officials assured the Palestinians yesterday that if Arafat recovered, he would be able to return to the West Bank. In the past, Israel was unwilling to make such promises.

However, a close Arafat associate said the Palestinian leader spent most of the day sleeping.

When he awoke, he was moved into a wheelchair because he was very weak and could not stand up.

Arafat's persistent two-week illness took a sudden turn for the worse on Wednesday night. He vomited after eating soup, then collapsed and was unconscious for about ten minutes, a bodyguard said.

Palestinian officials initially insisted that Arafat was suffering only from a severe flu, while doctors said he also suffered from a large gallstone.

Israeli officials have speculated Arafat is suffering from cancer in the digestive tract.

Arafat's wife, Suha, a Christian who lives in Paris, also arrived at the compound after flying from Tunis. She has not seen her husband since 2001.

Arafat has been confined to his partially-demolished compound since May 2002.