Where Are Arafat's Test Results?

[panopticon]

The results of tests undertaken on Yasser Arafat's remains were initially supposed to be released mid-2013 then mid-September 2013 and now, well wait and see...

I have come across a brief report in Pravda (http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/14-10-2013/125894-yasser_arafat-0/) that says the results have been handed to his widow and 'She will then decide what to do with this information and whether it is subject to official publication.'

It's also interesting that the recent journal article from The Lancet (www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)61834-6/fulltext) has been reported on in such a different fashion within different regions. For example a title in Haaretz reads 'Yasser Arafat’s underwear tells experts little about his death (http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/.premium-1.552340)', while the widely redistributed AFP reports 'Swiss radiation experts confirm polonium on Yasser Arafat clothing (www.news.com.au/world-news/swiss-radiation-experts-confirm-polonium-on-yasser-arafat-clothing/story-fndir2ev-1226739984888)'. Let's not forget the US ultra-orthodox weekly The Jewish Press. Their title reads: 'Arabs Launch the Great ‘Polonium Poisoned Arafat’ Hoax (http://www.jewishpress.com/news/arabs-launch-the-great-polonium-poisoned-arafat-hoax/2013/10/14/0/)'. Now that shows impartial reporting if ever I saw.

Shows how the same news gets reported in different ways to different people.
Never let is be said that the media lets the truth get in the way of a good story...
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

[Tesseract]

been waiting for it as well... post if you hear anything.

[sigma6]

buried with him...

[vortex surfer]

There was an article about this in the norwegian press yesterday. It contained a link to this Aljazeera article: http://http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/10/arafat-poisoning-claim-backed-journal-2013101215735508974.html

[vortex surfer]

Hm, link didn't work. This is it: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/10/arafat-poisoning-claim-backed-journal-2013101215735508974.html

[panopticon]

There have been reports that Vladimir Uiba the head of Russia's Federal Medico-Biological Agency (FMBA) said that:


He could not have been poisoned with polonium. The research conducted by Russian experts found no traces of this substance.

The FMBA has distanced itself from this statement:


"The FMBA of Russia has made no official statement about the results of research on the remains of Yasser Arafat," FMBA said in a statement.
It added that it had completed its tests and given the results to the authorities.
(AFP & Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/15/us-palestinians-arafat-russia-idUSBRE99E0LN20131015))
-- Pan

[panopticon]

Swiss, Russian experts rule out Arafat killed by radioactive polonium
Xinhua Online (news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-10/24/c_132827781.htm)

RAMALLAH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Swiss and Russian experts who participated in exhuming and applying tests on the remains of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ruled out in their report that radioactive polonium caused his death in 2004, local sources said Thursday.

However, the report, which the Palestinian National Authority ( PNA) received, did not discount the possibility that Arafat was intoxicated with a different poisonous material, the sources told Xinhua.

General Tawfiq Al-Tirrawi, the head of the Palestinian committee investigating Arafat's death, declined to comment on the information obtained by Xinhua, but said a press conference will be held soon to reveal the results of the report.

In November, the Swiss, Russian and French experts took samples from Arafat's remains for more tests after an investigative media report found out that Arafat's personal belonging bore traces of the polonium-210.

The report was carried out by the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera television network and the team of the documentary movie used a Swiss lab to examine Arafat's clothes, toothbrush and bedcovers after getting them from his widow.

Arafat died at a French military hospital in 2004 from an undisclosed or unknown condition.

At the time, Palestinian officials hinted that Israel was behind the death of Arafat after it prevented him from leaving his Ramallah headquarters for two years.

Source (news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-10/24/c_132827781.htm)

[panopticon]

The Russian Daily paper, 'The Kommersant', had a report on the 14th October about the testing on Arafat's belongings and possibly on the samples taken from his remains. My Russian is non-existent and my Russian translator is on walk-abouts so I'm a bit confused by the auto-translation. It seems to be talking about the Lancet report (which makes sense given the date) however it has been referenced in a number of places saying that it was referring to the body samples. I reckon they're mistaken but thought I'd add the reference here for later.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2319540

[Tesseract]

The Russian Daily paper, 'The Kommersant', had a report on the 14th October about the testing on Arafat's belongings and possibly on the samples taken from his remains. My Russian is non-existent and my Russian translator is on walk-abouts so I'm a bit confused by the auto-translation. It seems to be talking about the Lancet report (which makes sense given the date) however it has been referenced in a number of places saying that it was referring to the body samples. I reckon they're mistaken but thought I'd add the reference here for later.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2319540

Thanks! Here is the translation:


The death of Yasser Arafat has become science fact

On the personal things in the body and died at the end of 2004, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat found traces of radioactive polonium-210. This is stated in the article, the investigation of Swiss scientists, published in the influential British medical publication The Lancet.Meanwhile, still not made public the results of the examination carried out on the request of the widow of Arafat forensic experts from the three countries, including Russia. According to the same sources, "b", the official investigation has been completed and has led to the same conclusion: the Palestinian leader was poisoned with polonium.

In the article with a boring name of "Improving the quality of forensic case of poisoning by polonium," published in the latest issue of The Lancet, are sensational conclusions: results of the samples of personal belongings and bioassay Arafat "speak in favor of the version of the poisoning him with polonium-210." The authors - scientists from the Institute of Radio Physics and the University Centre for forensic examination in Lausanne, Switzerland (CHUV).It is their preliminary findings last year formed the basis of the acclaimed documentary TV channel "Al Jazeera" the true causes of death of the first President of the Palestinian National Authority. This time, Swiss scientists detail the findings and give further evidence of their original hypothesis.

"We have analyzed 75 samples taken for testing, 38 of which were taken with personal belongings and bioassay of Yasser Arafat. Remaining 37 samples were taken for comparison and were not artificially contaminated with polonium-210 - the study says. - Several samples of Blood and urine (Arafata. - "b" ) contained inexplicably higher percentage of polonium-210 than the samples selected for comparison (and not belonging to Arafat. - "b" ). These findings are working on the version that Arafat was poisoned Polonium-210. "
75-year-old Yasser Arafat died in December of 2004 in a hospital near Paris. As stated in an article in The Lancet, the first symptoms of the disease appeared in his October 12 of that year: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea."Shortly thereafter, the general state of his health began to deteriorate, with symptoms of gastric illness grew in the absence of inflammation or fever, - stated in the article. - His condition worsened until kidney failure and neurological coma. He was transferred to intensive care, where he died of a hemorrhage in the brain. Although numerous clinical and toxicological studies, the cause of the disease still remains unknown. "

Official statements about the cause of Arafat's death was not followed, which gave rise to many rumors, including the poisoning. Last year during the investigation into the death of Arafat took the Qatari television channel "Al Jazeera". Journalists have received from a number of his family Arafat's personal belongings (including clothes and a toothbrush), and tissue samples are sent to Switzerland - the Institute of Radio Physics and University Centre for forensic examination. A preliminary analysis, scientists said: the sharp deterioration of health, and then the death of Palestinian leader could be caused by poisoning with radioactive isotopes.

After this, the French prosecutor's office on request of relatives of Arafat initiated the formal investigation for possible poisoning. Arafat's widow Suha gave its approval to exhume his body, which was done last fall. French forensic experts were asked to help colleagues from Switzerland and Russia. Their main task was to confirm or refute the version of poisoning Arafat polonium-210, and then in the case of confirmation of the version to try to determine where it was produced by a chemical agent. The results of the group are held in strict confidence. It was expected that they make public in September, but that did not happen. Experts do not rule out the possibility that the information is kept secret so as not to disrupt the intensified a couple of weeks ago, negotiations on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.
Meanwhile, according to sources, "b", familiarized with the results of the investigation, "it confirmed the version of the polonium poisoning of Arafat."According to "Kommersant", the conclusions of the examination were first presented Suha Arafat. It is assumed that it must decide when to bring them public and do it all.

Personally, as a scientist, I have always thought that it should be all but impossible, for a professional lab, to get a false positive for polonium.

[Selene]

It's a fair guess that all the "nothing found" "it's an arab plot" stories are a preemptive attempt by the killers to use their media flunkies to create confusion ahead of the actual official test results. That and, oh, a little "intimidation" to help his widow "see reason" about releasing them. Nah.

Let's see how The Big Zio-controlled media - New York Times, CNN, etc - spin this story. Dollars to donuts they'll report it quietly, then call the results "controversial", ring in a few tame "experts"... and then bury the story forever in a maze of 9-11-like distortion.

Betcha.

PS: Why should anyone think Mossad done it? Ask yourself: Qui bono? Who benefits? And then consider motive, means and opportunity.

Regards,

Selene

[Tesseract]

In the years before Arafat died, Palestine was in the grip of the 2nd intifada. This uprising saw most of its action in the West Bank, unlike today where the Gaza strip is the site of most violence. Arafat’s compound was targeted by Israeli forces on many occasions, and heavily damaged. Arafat was pretty much under siege, and these attacks by Israel very easily could have caused his death. That may even have been the intention. There is an anecdote that an Israeli soldier accidentally broke into a room in which Arafat was sheltering, whereupon the Palestinian leader pulled out his revolver and pointed it at his own head, and the Israeli left.

At that time Fatah was politically ascendant over Hamas, whose political leadership was still in exile in Damascus. The elections that were won by Hamas didn’t happen until 2006. On the ground there were a number of groups that played key roles in the uprising including Al Qassam (Hamas) that Arafat did not have direct control over. Nonetheless, Israel blamed Arafat very publicly for every Israeli death that occurred at the hands of a Palestinian.

The constant Israeli strikes, general chaos and the siege of the compound in Ramallah made it virtually impossible for Arafat to govern in anything more than a kind of survival mode while the uprising was running its course. Some say Arafat was an ineffective leader by this point, but I would like to know how effective he was meant to be under those conditions. The PM of Israel at the time was Sharon, perhaps the most ruthless and murderous PM of Israel in modern times and there is no doubt that he wanted Arafat dead (he said as much). Despite Arafat’s struggles, he was really the only unifying figure in the West Bank that time. There is a cogent case to be made that Israel wanted him dead so that there would be a degeneration of the Palestinian politic, such that they lost any potency as a negotiating party on the world stage. This article that was written while Arafat was alive has more to say on that:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-murder-of-arafat-had-been-planned-by-israel-since-2002

Israel would presumably be quite capable of supplying the polonium, given their nuclear programs. They also have a history of administering poison. In 1997 the leader of Hamas was attacked in a street in Oman by Israeli agents, a special poison was sprayed into his ear. Fortunately he fell into the care of brilliant doctors who guessed the right type of stabilising medication – meanwhile the Jordanian government forced Israel to confirm the antidote (and to release Ahmed Yassin). At the very least Sharon, Peres and Olmert would be likely conspirators, if indeed Polonium was the cause of Arafat's death, and if indeed Israel was behind it.

23473


Israel is currently in the middle of releasing over 100 long-term prisoners, it's possible that Arafat's wife does not want to jeopardise that, given the potential violent reaction that may follow any confirmation (I won't accept the word of any 'sources' at this point, about what those results are) from her of the original Swiss results.

[panopticon]

I agree Tesseract.

The recent overtures of peace and Bibi seeming to be assisting in the "2 state solution" all are factors.
Abbas seems to be getting a lot of attention from the Kerry (which wont make Hamas happy either).
Israeli Governments continued rhetoric about Iran and their recent strikes on Syria also factor in.
The risk that a 3rd Intifada may eventuate if a Polonium-210 result comes back positive is also something that all would be considering.
There are so many factors involved (eg "Arab Spring" uprisings, Egypt, Syria, Jordan (news.yahoo.com/syria-rebels-seize-guard-post-jordan-border-113038180.html)) that it is a powder keg in the region.
Arafat's results need to be watched out for because that could be the lighting of the wick.
If we're saying it, then we can be sure we're not alone on this.
That's why I think the results have been so long in arriving.
-- Pan

[panopticon]

The Swiss and Russian reports have now been handed over to the special Palestinian committee (no report on the French study as of yet) and officials are going over the reports before informing the Palestinian people as to their result.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Palestinian+commission+gets+results+detailing+cause+Yasser/9126854/story.html
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=23571

-- Pan

[Corncrake]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/yasser-arafat-murdered-polonium-162313337.html#BORfO0y

Yasser Arafat 'Was Murdered With Polonium'
Sky NewsSky News – 8 minutes ago

Yasser Arafat 'Was Murdered With Polonium'
Forensic tests on former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's corpse have revealed he was poisoned to death with radioactive polonium, his wife has claimed.
Suha Arafat said the results of the tests in Switzerland revealed "a real crime", adding: "It is scientifically proved that he didn't die a natural death and we have scientific proof that this man was killed."
A team of experts have been examining samples taken from Mr Arafat's body since his grave was opened in the West Bank city of Ramallah last November, eight years after his death.
French prosecutors opened a murder investigation in August 2012, after traces of polonium-210 - the same radioactive substance that killed Russian spy Alexander Litvinkenko in 2006 - were reportedly found on Mr Arafat's personal effects.
Professor David Barclay, a British forensic scientist who has seen the results of the Swiss tests, said the findings were a "smoking gun" for those who suspect foul play in his death.
"In my opinion, it is absolutely certain that the cause of his illness was polonium poisoning," he said. "The levels present in him are sufficient to have caused death."
More follows...

[Bob]

6 Nov 2013 Al Jazeera also published news reports today - Swiss scientists have confirmed Polonium in higher than normal amounts in bones and in surrounding soil at the gravesite (leeching from body to the soil). Shua, his wife (whom I had met personally in 1987 in Cairo) vows to find the perps who killed her husband.


http://madame.lefigaro.fr/sites/default/files/imagecache/image-diaporama-photo/2012/08/15_suha-arafat-afp.jpg

[Bob]

Huffington Post - 6 Nov 2013 - Potential Firestorm in the Arab world may be set off by this revelation



Professor David Barclay, a British forensic scientist retained by Al Jazeera to interpret the results of the Swiss tests, said the findings from Arafat's body confirmed the earlier results from traces of bodily fluids on his underwear, toothbrush and clothing.

"In my opinion, it is absolutely certain that the cause of his illness was polonium poisoning," Barclay told Reuters. "The levels present in him are sufficient to have caused death.

"What we have got is the smoking gun - the thing that caused his illness and was given to him with malice."

Finding the perpetrators -

"Barclay said the type of polonium discovered in Arafat's body must have been manufactured in a nuclear reactor." A reactor producing isotopes, or radioactive elements produces a spectral fingerprint. Each energetic signature presents what reactor made such items. This spectral finger print for instance allows a forensic researcher a tool to track backwards into the spectral records, where for instance, plutonium or enriched Uranium for an atomic device was made. The US Savannah river plants for instance, the custodians for parts of the stockpiles for the US atomic substances maintains such a signature database on US produced atomic substances. It would be curious to see if Barclay would request sample isotope signatures from Dimona Ness Ziona.

ref: http://www.srs.gov/general/srs-home.html Savannah River Site "Nuclear Knowledge for the Nation" is their motto
http://www.srs.gov/general/programs/analytical_labs/index.html - the Analytic forensic Laboratories of Savannah River national site
http://www.srs.gov/general/programs/analytical_labs/methods.html - spectral analysis methods

http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2012/07/07/israels-lethal-history-with-polonium/ - Israel's lethal history with Polonium, from Richard Silverstein

Negev Nuclear Research Center at Dimona, photographed by American reconnaissance satellite KH-4 CORONA, 1968-11-11


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Nuclear_reactor_in_dimona_%28israel%29.jpg

Another facility capable of producing "medical" isotopes:
"The Soreq Nuclear Research Center is a research and development institute located near the localities of Palmachim and Yavne in Israel. It operates under the auspices of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC). The center conducts research in various physical sciences, particularly the development of many kinds of sensors, lasers, atmospheric research, non-destructive testing techniques, space environment, nuclear safety, medical diagnostics and nuclear medicine. It also produces various types of radiopharmacuticals for use by health care organizations throughout the country.

"Some of the institute's research facilities include a 5MW pool-type light water nuclear reactor supplied in the late 1950s from the USA under the Atoms for Peace program and a 10MeV proton cyclotron accelerator, as well as extensive laboratory and testing facilities. Currently under construction is a 40 MeV, 2 mA proton and deuteron superconducting linear accelerator scheduled for commissioning in 2013."

Ed Note: Polonium is manufactured in a reactor by irradiating Bismuth metal. The transmutation creates Polonium 2010. Russia has been cited as having "lost" 10kg of polonium. The radioactive element had disappeared from the Sarov facility, which produces the rare radioactive material and is described as Russia's own version of Los Alamos, the US government's nuclear research base in New Mexico. ref: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/11/27/2003338122

[panopticon]

So now we've got:


Confirmation that Arafat was assassinated by persons unknown.
A conspiracy that has been broken wide open by an Al Jazeera investigative report.
Kerry busy in the Middle East negotiating an Israel/Palestine peace process/2-state solution since February.
Kerry actively commenting (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/middle-east-in-turmoil/settlement-spat-looms-large-over-john-kerrys-midddle-east-visit/story-fn7ycml4-1226754703884) (distancing?) on the new settler construction (3700 new dwellings) the Israeli Government are pushing ahead with in "contested territory".
The Hamas/Fatah divide.
Iran negotiating for a loosening of sanctions.
Syrian civil war.
The break down of Government in Egypt.

That's only just the surface stuff that pop into mind as I'm writing.

I have no idea whether this will start the 3rd Intifada, but given the conditions/restrictions under which the West Bank operates I wouldn't be overly surprised if this is "wick, match, light".
-- Pan

[panopticon]

AL Jazeera has released the full report here:
http://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/killing-arafat/swiss-forensic-report-arafat-death-201311671255163780.html

-- Pan

[Bob]

Pan - Suha when I met her, her whole focus was to protect the children. That was in '87. Folks obviously can change, she wasn't even married to her "boss" who was Arafat. She showed me a black and white picture of her and her boss (Arafat) prior to the peace initiative. She struck me as not under any situation wanting Intifada. I do know at that time there were peace initiative miracles happening and a lot of opportunities to work things out. Not taking any sides just saying what I observed back in '87. She is a woman of strong compassion. I think her expression in the photo above is genuine. And that is how I remember her from the early days.

[panopticon]

Pan - Suha when I met her, her whole focus was to protect the children. That was in '87. Folks obviously can change, she wasn't even married to her "boss" who was Arafat. She showed me a black and white picture of her and her boss (Arafat) prior to the peace initiative. She struck me as not under any situation wanting Intifada. I do know at that time there were peace initiative miracles happening and a lot of opportunities to work things out. Not taking any sides just saying what I observed back in '87. She is a woman of strong compassion. I think her expression in the photo above is genuine. And that is how I remember her from the early days.

Thank you for sharing your personal insight into Arafat's widow.

I fear that what she wants has little to do with what will occur.

The prospect of a 3rd Intifada is one reason I view that Abbas is getting so much attention at the moment and why the US and Israeli governments are so focused on directing attention towards a peace process.

If she is still as you remember her I hope she has some input into how the Palestinian people express their emotions in this matter. I doubt that Abbas will be able to control Hamas or the other militant/political groups involved and the Israeli's already have their rhetoric intact. Not to forget of course that we haven't seen the Russian or French reports (which may sing from a different hymn book to the Swiss). Al Jazeera and the Palestinian Authority must have a reason they released this report and not the Russian one as we know they have copies of both.

We live in interesting time...
-- Pan

[Bob]

Pan - Suha when I met her, her whole focus was to protect the children. That was in '87. Folks obviously can change, she wasn't even married to her "boss" who was Arafat. She showed me a black and white picture of her and her boss (Arafat) prior to the peace initiative. She struck me as not under any situation wanting Intifada. I do know at that time there were peace initiative miracles happening and a lot of opportunities to work things out. Not taking any sides just saying what I observed back in '87. She is a woman of strong compassion. I think her expression in the photo above is genuine. And that is how I remember her from the early days.

Thank you for sharing your personal insight into Arafat's widow.

I fear that what she wants has little to do with what will occur.



None of my information on PLO/Hamas is current circa 2013. Based on what I saw in UAE this last February, US sentiment was at an all time low. I had discussions with folks from Jordan and Lebanon, as well as UAE nationals. I got a cross sectional view, a pulse so to speak. Any discussions even mention of Israel were met with having spoken something that should never be discussed, met with a disdain like one could never imagine. To discuss philosophically was OK to see where mindsets were at. Historically in '87 when the "miraculous transformation happened" with Arafat, the discussion as I understand it, was to put the PLO in the background, dissolve all campaigns of terroristic activity, but leave HAMAS as the fallback just in case the maneuver towards "living together in peaceful relations" was not possible. If all failed with peace, Hamas would be the ones to carry out, "Istishhadi", or martyrdom as needed against those who block "freedom" and against the "oppressor". The definition of what and who exactly "is" the oppressor is vague.

This is where it becomes highly unstable and dangerous. Abbas as a figurehead, by no means has the charisma as a key rallying point figure. I agree with you, he will in no way have any way to influence any positive outcome in the region. Who is left then to set policy in Gaza? Hamas is governed by 3 wings, three organizational divisions, who carry out their specialty operations - military, it's "Political Bureau", and the "General Consultative Council". Those members set the policy and supposedly carry out the will of the organization. But the military often-times operates contrary and independently to the rest of the organization. Will they use Arafat's apparently murder as a rallying point?

What it "feels like" is there is a strong block wall that is present. Listening to Al Jazeera one can see the fueling of sentiment - tension is building. The powder-keg is being fueled, but there is also a type of stability. What Suha mentioned, and I believe it has stopped absolutely insane protests, was she wants to find the perpetrators - Arafat is dead by unnatural causes be it polonium or some other substance that destroyed his GI tract. I have no idea what immediate steps would be accomplished other than maybe setup who the 3rd Intifada may be centered upon. I suspect Istishhad would be the actions to be planned, tried and used in the tested ways of the past during the time of the PLO reign - against whom is the questions. From in the past having seen the sentiments and personalities, I would guess, against whom who had produced the Polonium as that seems to be the "agent" used. And that then narrows down to who has the substance, who has the reactor. Russia does have and has used polonium in the past to target, and Russia is as you point out, one of the groups to do the "testing".

My guess is don't ignore the underlying currents that are building and keep an eye on which groups are mobilizing. The chatter is monitorable and obviously NSA and NRO have their fingers on the pulse.



The prospect of a 3rd Intifada is one reason I view that Abbas is getting so much attention at the moment and why the US and Israeli governments are so focused on directing attention towards a peace process.

If she is still as you remember her I hope she has some input into how the Palestinian people express their emotions in this matter. I doubt that Abbas will be able to control Hamas or the other militant/political groups involved and the Israeli's already have their rhetoric intact. Not to forget of course that we haven't seen the Russian or French reports (which may sing from a different hymn book to the Swiss). Al Jazeera and the Palestinian Authority must have a reason they released this report and not the Russian one as we know they have copies of both.

We live in interesting time...
-- Pan

The biggest problem which I have seen time and time again, is folks never forget in that region. And folks continually will bring up past actions and use them as justifications to issue Fatwah(s), carry out Intifada, while committing Istishhad. That has been the old way, continually. When the "miracle" happened with Arafat, he was willing to be in the moment, to drop the issues of the past. That is what Suha had shared with him originally, and that was the change. To be in the moment, and hold being in the moment as more important than any errors committed in the past. I don't know if there is any charismatic figure these days willing to present themselves and bring people to the moment and only stay in the moment, not concerned about a future, not worried about the atrocities of the past, but to come up with a way of living together in the now, in the moment.

ref: Istishhad - (Arabic: استشهاد‎) heroism in the act of sacrifice" rather than "victimization," not "suicide".

ref: Hamas (Arabic: حماس‎ Ḥamās, "enthusiasm", an acronym of حركة المقاومة الاسلامية Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, "Islamic Resistance Movement") is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist organization, with an associated military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, located in the Palestinian territories.

ref: Fatwā (Arabic: فتوى‎; plural fatāwā Arabic: فتاوى‎) In the Islamic faith that is the technical term for the legal judgment or learned interpretation that a qualified jurist or mufti can give on issues pertaining to the Islamic law.

ref: Mufti - (Arabic: مفتي‎ muftī ; Turkish: müftü ) A Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law.


ED Note: from the Israeli Times, just in:
"US Secretary of State John Kerry launched an unusually bitter public attack on Israeli policies in the West Bank Thursday 7 Nov 2013, warning that if current peace talks fail, Israel could see a third Intifada and growing international isolation, and that calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions would increase. Kerry made the comments during a joint interview with Israel’s Channel 2 and the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation." - http://www.timesofisrael.com/kerry-warns-of-3rd-intifada-isolation-of-israel-if-talks-fail/ ...

"Israel’s Channel 2 news quoted unnamed officials in Jerusalem responding bitterly to the secretary’s remarks. Israel, said one official, would not “give in to the intimidation tactics” of the secretary, and would not compromise on its vital security needs."

That doesn't sound like things are calming down..

ref: Intifada - Intifada (انتفاضة intifāḍah) is an Arabic word which literally means "shaking off", sometimes translated to mean, a type of uprising against something.

[panopticon]

G'day Bobd,

I agree with your observations.

Your analysis of Abbas is spot on IMO and Al Jazeera (like all media organisations) talks to an audience so it is not surprising to me that they have been pushing a pro-Palestinian message.

The trouble in trying to anticipate actions in this region is that all it takes is one incident and everything changes (plus the "faceless men" are either completely anonymous or so powerful that they might as well be).

I wouldn't put to much hope in finding out where the isotopes were sourced. I would have thought that the level of degradation of samples would make testing almost meaningless and the reference samples are so small (traces really) that a signature wouldn't be identifiable (that's if any would dare try and trace it anyhow).

I agree that observation of underlying currents are important to watch.


The biggest problem which I have seen time and time again, is folks never forget in that region

The above part of your post is possibly the most important. When looking at anything that is going on in the Middle East it is important to think in terms of decades, if not centuries, to understand why something is happening.

Saw Bibi is up to his usual rhetoric in relation to the present negotiations with Iran and the Palestinian talks:

4TMN4bXFoMY
All the reports coming out of Geneva seem to be indicating that the negotiations are going to be a success so that will be interesting.

Wonder what sort of Friday protests will be going on in Tehran, Gaza and Ramallah?

Seems a bit like that feeling when the Berlin Wall came down, just different...

[panopticon]

The Russian report says results of tests into Arafat's cause of death inconclusive.

The conclusion of the Russian report is available here:
http://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/killing-arafat/russian-forensic-report-arafat-death-20131189959812216.html

Al Jazeera (www.aljazeera.com/video/middleeast/2013/11/russia-instructed-scientists-arafat-test-2013118101758265361.html) is claiming that the Russian Government had a part in the results through scientists being given instructions by the foreign minister.

Some questions being asked (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/08/yasser-arafat-farce-ramallah-ducked-questions) as to whether Arafat was poisoned by his inner circle (Arafat's widow is reported as questioning if it was his inner circle).

Lot more reports following the Palestinian line.
-- Pan

[Tesseract]

Al Jazeera has an agenda against Lavrov due to, amongst many things, his opposition to foreign intervention in Syria. Although it's good to see Al Jazeera present the reports on their website, I don't pay much attention to any type of editorial opinion that they have.

I read through a large part of the Swiss report - it is an excellent document, an excellent investigation, that addresses all concerns with the data and its interpretation. They tested a lot of control samples, and importantly looked at the level of supported Po vs. unsuported Po [read the document if you want to know what that's all about]. It's hard not to agree with their conclusions.

I have also looked at the Russian report today, so far it appears far less comprehensive and less detailed than the Swiss one.

[Bob]

Pan and Tesseract or anyone else reading this thread, has anyone followed the writings of, Michel Chossudovsky ? It may be that what he has posted can shed some light on the way the test results are "read", or why the different countries are taking "sides".



I was reading a post of his on http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-assassination-of-yasser-arafat-was-ordered-by-the-israeli-cabinet-we-will-choose-the-right-way-and-the-right-time-to-kill-arafat/5357121
entitled, "The Assassination of Yasser Arafat was Ordered by The Israeli Cabinet: “We will Choose the Right Way and the Right Time to Kill Arafat." "

I would be curious to see if there is any possible read on that article, if the data is accurate or not. tnx.

ref: http://www.aljazeerah.info/News/2013/November/7%20n/Arafat's%20Assassination%20by%20Israeli%20Polonium%20Confirmed%20by%20Swiss,%20Russian,%20French%20S cientists,%20November%207,%202013.htm scroll down to: "Evidence Indicates that Ariel Sharon Ordered the Assassination of Yasser Arafat"


(From his bio - he is an award-winning author, Professor of Economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, Founder and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal and Editor of the globalresearch.ca website. He is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America’s “War on Terrorism”(2005). His most recent book is entitled Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011). He is also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than twenty languages. He can be reached at crgeditor@yahoo.com)

[panopticon]

G'day Bobd,

Pan and Tesseract or anyone else reading this thread, has anyone followed the writings of, Michel Chossudovsky ? It may be that what he has posted can shed some light on the way the test results are "read", or why the different countries are taking "sides".

No, I'm not familiar with Chossudovsky's work, though I've read a few articles from that site over the years.


I was reading a post of his on http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-assassination-of-yasser-arafat-was-ordered-by-the-israeli-cabinet-we-will-choose-the-right-way-and-the-right-time-to-kill-arafat/5357121
entitled, "The Assassination of Yasser Arafat was Ordered by The Israeli Cabinet: “We will Choose the Right Way and the Right Time to Kill Arafat." "

I would be curious to see if there is any possible read on that article, if the data is accurate or not. tnx.


As with everything like this it needs to be placed into context.

The Who, What, Where, When, Why & How questions need to be asked.

Arafat died in office and at the time was largely ineffectual as a leader, he was more a figure head than a leader.

He died on November 11 2004 (significant date -- Remembrance/Armistice Day), roughly a year and a half after Abbas had been appointed PM (I agree with Chossudovsky on Abbas being a quisling).

All of the documents cited in the article by Chossudovsky were from the period either immediately following the start of the 2nd Intifada (late September 2000) or a few years after and reflect Israeli/US government concerns. I don't find it particularly surprising that given the context these sort of discussions/decisions occurred.

Following Arafat's death the 2nd Intifada started to falter. It is usually agreed that within 6 months of Arafat's death the 2nd Intifada ended (coinciding with the mid-period removal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit). There has been numerous conflicts since that time between Israeli troops and the various groups in The Gaza Strip as well as the conflict between Hamas and Fatah over governance of that region which is on-going (article here (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131110/fatah-hamas-quibble-over-arafat-memorial-ceremony) on one recent disagreement).

The international community has been fairly constant in their support for the differing groups. The US being the main supporter of Israel.

A general guide I use for the positions held by different countries is the voting record from the 1975 UN General Assembly Resolution #3379 (see here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_3379#Voting_record)). While positions may have altered since then in the abstaining voters the yes and no votes have remained largely consistent.

So, getting back to your question, it is possible that Israel did execute Arafat but, in my opinion, this would only have been able to occur with the assistance of someone in the compound. So, it is probable that Israel provided the substance that Arafat was poisoned with (if indeed he was poisoned) to a person or persons with access to both the compound and Arafat.

I hope this helps.
-- Pan

[panopticon]

The new documentary "Killing Arafat" has just been made available on Youtube:

qr2DULWPzAs

A world exclusive investigation tells the inside story of the fight for the facts behind Yasser Arafat's death. Following What killed Arafat? which led French prosecutors to open a murder inquiry, this documentary follows the struggle to convince the Palestinian Authority to allow an exhumation of Arafat's body to test for radioactive poison. Al Jazeera's Clayton Swisher reports on the tests that led to the Swiss scientists reporting high levels of polonium Yasser Arafat's bones.

Article on investigation and results reported in documentary:
http://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/killing-arafat/killing-arafat-full-story-2013116125955541864.html
-- Pan

[panopticon]

I just finished watching the documentary I posted above and agree with the findings.

Namely that it appears that:

Arafat was killed.
An outside group/country were responsible for supply of polonium.
It was administered by someone who had access to either Arafat, his food or medication.

Also, from the report and the supposed Russian lab results, that Russian officials influenced the Russian lab results.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes out in the French investigation.
-- Pan

[Hervé]

Did George W. Bush Bless Israel’s Killing of Yasser Arafat With Polonium? (http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041549229/bush-sharon-polonium-assassination-arafat.html)

Middle East (http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/)03:35 18.06.2016
(updated 08:17 18.06.2016)



https://www.sott.net/image/s16/326151/large/1024958077.jpg
© AFP 2016/ JAMAL ARURI


French jurists delayed their decision on whether to reopen an investigation into the cause of Yasser Arafat’s death, but mounting evidence of polonium poisoning and shocking admissions suggest an explosive assassination cover-up has been underway for over a decade.

On Friday, a French court ruled to postpone a decision on whether to resume an investigation into the death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat until June 24 or July 8. This comes amid growing suspicions that Israeli agents assassinated him using polonium poisoning.

In 2012, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader’s widow, Suha Arafat, filed a complaint after traces of polonium, a highly toxic radioactive substance, were found on Yasser Arafat’s personal effects.

Arafat drifted into a coma and passed away on November 11, 2004 at the age of 75, after suffering nausea, massive stomach problems, and other gastrointestinal related issues. His illness initially began on October 12, 2004, despite have previously been given a clean bill of health.

The French hospital treating the Palestinian leader determined that the cause of Yasser Arafat’s death was a stroke triggered by blood poisoning. Inexplicably, French officials have never inquired about the type of blood poisoning to which Arafat eventually succumbed.

Yasser Arafat’s demise is consistent with polonium poisoning, which causes gradual deterioration of the body, ending in death over the course of several weeks or months. Victims experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and hair loss.

Recognized as the leader of the Palestinian movement, some viewed Arafat as the father of Palestine.

On Thursday, Loud & Clear’s Brian Becker sat down with Dr. Ghada Talhami (https://www.facebook.com/Loudandclearbrianbecker/?fref=ts) of Lake Forest College to examine what the evidence suggests about Arafat’s death.

​"Well, the first thing that we know is that Souha Arafat succeeded in convincing the Palestine Authority in Ramallah to exhume his body so that they could take samples in order to have it investigated individually," Talhami says.

"Additionally, according to Al Jazeera, she sent his toothbrush and some of his clothing to a Swiss agency to be tested for polonium and that was last year. The Swiss lab confirmed that there were, in fact, traces of polonium on his effects," the professor explains. "Polonium is a radioactive material that has no smell, no visible color, and it is very secretive."

"In order to pursue this one step further she would need to get a verdict, which can be done either by opening a new court case, that he was actually assassinated," she adds.

Do Palestinians and Israelis believe that Yasser Arafat was assassinated?
"This is what I can tell you: According to a very well-known article by Uri Avnery, a member of the Knesset and a famous peace activist in Israel, said that he himself got some kind of confirmation by an individual named Uri Dan who was the loyal mouthpiece of Ariel Sharon for nearly 50 years," she says.

According to professor Talhami, President George W. Bush authorized the assassination of the revered Palestinian leader when asked directly by then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"Uri Dan said that there was a conversation that Sharon had with him and President Bush, and Sharon apparently asked for permission to kill Arafat and Bush gave it to him on the condition that it must be done very quietly under the table," Talhami says.

"When Uri Dan asked Sharon if it had been carried out, the former Prime Minister said that 'it is better not to talk about that,' so Dan took that to be a confirmation."

Is there reason to believe that Israel would have killed Yasser Arafat?
"We have this and several instances that are very well known in Israel where the press would actually ask Sharon why didn’t you kill him when he was right under your nose, especially after Israel held Arafat’s headquarters under siege during the Second Intifada," the professor says. "Sharon would say that I couldn’t do it because he had Israelis protecting him and living with him in his headquarters."

"One of those Israelis was Uri Avnery who, along with two other Israelis, decided to live with Arafat as a human shield in order to protect him," Talhami explains. "We also know during the Israeli siege of Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War that as soon as the Israelis invaded Beirut on the eve of the massacres of Sabra and Shatilla, that Israeli soldiers would actually scour Beirut looking for Arafat."


http://cdn5.img.sputniknews.com/images/104154/87/1041548751.jpg
© AP Photo/ Doug Mills (http://bit.ly/1UgGLB2) George W. Bush sits in front photo of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.


"You put all of this together and the fact that there was this strange illness that struck Arafat which nobody knew what it was. Was it the flu? No. The French hospital decided that he had died of a stroke caused by blood poisoning, but providing no further details," she adds.

"Either the French hospital that was treating him does not want to release the full story or French authorities are masking the truth. In Israel, the story is really linked to Sharon."