Swiss scientists have found evidence suggesting that Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned, adding new fuel to long-standing allegations about the Palestinian leader’s death, a TV station reported Wednesday.
Al-Jazeera published what it said was a long-awaited 108-page report by a team of Swiss experts who tested Arafat’s remains. The scientists wrote that “the results moderately support the proposition that the death was the consequence of poisoning with polonium-210,” according to the pan-Arab satellite channel.
Senior Palestinian officials repeatedly have alleged that Arafat was poisoned by Israel. The Israelis denied the allegations.
Raanan Gissin, a former Israeli government spokesman, reiterated Wednesday that Israel had no role.
“It was a government decision not to touch Arafat at all,” he said, adding that “if anyone poisoned him, it could have been someone from his close circle.”
Suha Arafat, the Palestinian leader’s widow, said she was shocked and saddened by the report’s findings.
In his final days “he was so ill, losing everything, his immunity. He was shrinking day by day,” she told Al-Jazeera. “It is a very, very, very sad day. It wounds the heard, and this wound, we cannot close it.”
She said the family had no autopsy at the time and wanted him buried quickly according to Muslim tradition.
A relative of Arafat also confirmed the report was authentic. He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the findings.
A Palestinian committee that has been investigating Arafat’s 2004 death also received a copy of the report, but declined comment. The head of the committee, Tawfik Tirawi, said details would be presented at a news conference in coming days.
Arafat died at a French hospital in 2004, but the cause of death has never been determined.
Last year, a Swiss lab discovered traces of polonium-210, a deadly radioactive isotope, on clothes provided by Arafat’s widow. More samples were subsequently taken from his remains in the West Bank.
(AP)
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9 Responses
Loss of immunity? He had that for years with all the dreq he got away with! Seriously sounds like AIDS which is nothing different what was being reported back then anyway. The only thing people were wondering was how one got it from sheep.
The only good terrorist is a dead one. who cares how he died. At least he is dead.
The photo attached gives the impression that that charedi poisoned him.
Suha is so saddened by this news as she sits in her palatial apartment paid for out of the Eight Hundred Million dollars she stole from her own people.
Probably too much neturei karta chulent…
The scientists from Russia say that NO poison was detected.
The Swiss are for sure anti Israel.
I hereby strongly protest yeshivaworld’s use of the shown photograph for use with this news item!!!
Why show a photograph which brings up reminders of major chilul hashem by persons or groups acting without the endorsement of ANY Gedolim or Daas Torah??
The photograph has NOTHING at all to do with the news item other than that YA is one of the people shown.
I axpect of YWN to be more careful as to what material is used in their posts!!!
Bad enough you frequently publish a picture of a רשע at all, but why choose a picture with 2 רשעים ???
I wouldn’t be surprised if his wife, mrs sewer arafat offed him. Prob better to live as an almana than be married to that piece of trash.