Ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat left Amman military airport aboard a French plane at around 8:00 am (0600 GMT) Friday morning on his way to Paris for medical treatment.

Jordanian military helicopter airlifted the ailing Palestinian leader from the West Bank city of Ramallah to Amman. This was Arafat's first trip abroad since 2001.

Fifteen doctors, including local physicians and specialists from Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt, examined 75-year-old Arafat on Thursday and believed he would be able to get the best treatment in Paris.

Israel has confined Arafat to his Muqata headquarters in Ramallah for more than two years, and threatened to deny his return once he leaves the compound.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke with his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Qurei on Thursday and agreed in principle to permit ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to be flown abroad for medical treatment, an Israeli official said on Thursday.