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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Arafat polonium indicates "third party involvement" say Swiss experts
2013-11-08


Swiss scientists have told a news conference that the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat did have radioactive polonium in his body. But although they acknowledge that he could have been poisoned, the experts have not confirmed that this was what killed the 75-year-old in 2004. And they have not attributed blame, either. In Gaza, one man interviewed on the street pointed to differences between Arafat and other Palestinian political leaders."Some say Mohamed Dahlan was behind the poisoning, others say Mahmoud Abbas. It is still unclear," he said.
Why use polonium, which is expensive and hard to procure with a distinctive signature, and not rat poison, which is cheap and easily explained?
But ultimately, he blamed Israel.
Naturally.
"We blame the occupation authorities who imposed a siege on him. And the occupation had agents everywhere and it is sure that they sent the poison that was placed in his food, via a collaborator."

Arafat's widow believes her husband was assassinated but the experts are cautious. At the news conference, they said the high levels of polonium found did indicate third party involvement. But they could not show categorically that polonium poisoning was the cause of death.

The Israeli government has denied any role in Arafat's death, officially caused by a massive stroke. A foreign ministry spokesman said: "This is more soap opera than science".
Posted by:Theting Glasing4448

#7  I always thought Litvenenko's poisoning was a message--maybe that he became a black market billionaire with old stockpiles in the Soviet Union but Arafat's exposure would then show who he was dealing with...A lot of Russians parked their money on Cyprus, where Arafat was based a lot of years, until it imploded. They now have moved to the Sunny Carribee...where a lot of private telecommunications/banking info was dumped into the mailroom of the ICIJ...and a SK journalist roughed up while there to get a story on secret slush funds of Chun Doo-hwan. Just bet there is more to the story ...Suha might regret demanding a closer look...
Posted by: Flaiger Uneamp8181   2013-11-08 14:41  

#6  Always assumed Arafat had a little help to speed him to his final reward. Always assumed that Sharon's subsequent health problems were retribution.
Posted by: Iblis   2013-11-08 12:08  

#5  Did they do any control autopsies on other life long smokers?
Posted by: Penguin   2013-11-08 09:53  

#4  If you have a reactor, polonium is cheap actually.
Posted by: bernardz   2013-11-08 09:39  

#3  Isn't Polonium an AIDS treatment for Paleos?
Posted by: Glenmore   2013-11-08 08:52  

#2  Without question, a stroke of luck.
Posted by: Besoeker   2013-11-08 04:46  

#1  officially caused by a massive stroke of a hammer.
Posted by: Skidmark   2013-11-08 00:23  

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