Yasser Arafat - was he murdered?
Discussion
& who had the motive? People close to him, or Israel as suggested by some?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19402767
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19402767
Blib said:
The Israelis would and have gone to the four corners of the Earth to exact revenge on their enemies. They could have killed him years ago. They chose not to.
Better the devil you know.
^^^^^ This ^^^^^ Better the devil you know.
Murder by Polonium is a Russian technique isn't it? Seems more likely that the killer (if indeed there was one) came from the Arab world, what with several states having strong Russian links. Arafat was under more threat from his own "side" than he was from the Israelis.
andymadmak said:
Blib said:
The Israelis would and have gone to the four corners of the Earth to exact revenge on their enemies. They could have killed him years ago. They chose not to.
Better the devil you know.
^^^^^ This ^^^^^ Better the devil you know.
Murder by Polonium is a Russian technique isn't it? Seems more likely that the killer (if indeed there was one) came from the Arab world, what with several states having strong Russian links. Arafat was under more threat from his own "side" than he was from the Israelis.
andymadmak said:
Blib said:
The Israelis would and have gone to the four corners of the Earth to exact revenge on their enemies. They could have killed him years ago. They chose not to.
Better the devil you know.
^^^^^ This ^^^^^ Better the devil you know.
Murder by Polonium is a Russian technique isn't it? Seems more likely that the killer (if indeed there was one) came from the Arab world, what with several states having strong Russian links. Arafat was under more threat from his own "side" than he was from the Israelis.
nytimes.com 08/09/2005 said:
Israelis note that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon saw Arafat as a terrorist and an obstacle to peace, and had been on record as favoring his elimination. In 2002, Sharon told the newspaper Maariv that he regretted not "eliminating" Arafat in 1982, during the Lebanese war.
...
But Uri Dan, a Sharon confidant, wrote in November 2004 that he remembered meetings in 1982 held by Sharon, then defense minister, in his Tel Aviv office "in which he asked the heads of the Mossad when they would finally carry out Prime Minister Menachem Begin's order to eliminate Arafat."
...
In September 2003, Sharon's vice prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said of Arafat that "killing him is definitely one of the options." He added: "We are trying to eliminate all the heads of terror, and Arafat is one of the heads of terror."
There have been reports in the Israeli press of a secret cabinet decision made in late 2003 to eliminate Arafat, which Dan describes as "a deliberately vaguely worded decision to remove Arafat, since he was an obstacle to peace." Officials have hinted that operational plans were drawn up to eliminate Arafat, although they say no action was taken.
...
But Sharon himself said he informed President George W.Bush on April 14, 2004, that he no longer felt bound by his promise to Bush in March 2001 not to harm Arafat, Dan says.
"President Bush replied that it would perhaps be best to leave Arafat's fate in the hands of the Almighty.Sharon said that one should sometimes help Him."
...
swift onset of Arafat's intestinal troubles four hours after eating on the evening of Oct. 12
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/07/world/africa/07i......
But Uri Dan, a Sharon confidant, wrote in November 2004 that he remembered meetings in 1982 held by Sharon, then defense minister, in his Tel Aviv office "in which he asked the heads of the Mossad when they would finally carry out Prime Minister Menachem Begin's order to eliminate Arafat."
...
In September 2003, Sharon's vice prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said of Arafat that "killing him is definitely one of the options." He added: "We are trying to eliminate all the heads of terror, and Arafat is one of the heads of terror."
There have been reports in the Israeli press of a secret cabinet decision made in late 2003 to eliminate Arafat, which Dan describes as "a deliberately vaguely worded decision to remove Arafat, since he was an obstacle to peace." Officials have hinted that operational plans were drawn up to eliminate Arafat, although they say no action was taken.
...
But Sharon himself said he informed President George W.Bush on April 14, 2004, that he no longer felt bound by his promise to Bush in March 2001 not to harm Arafat, Dan says.
"President Bush replied that it would perhaps be best to leave Arafat's fate in the hands of the Almighty.Sharon said that one should sometimes help Him."
...
swift onset of Arafat's intestinal troubles four hours after eating on the evening of Oct. 12
BBC said:
Polonium-210
Very dangerous if significant dose ingested
External exposure not a risk, only if ingested
"Unexplained, elevated" level of polonium-210 on Arafat's clothing, keffiyeh and toothbrush
More than 60% of polonium was not from natural sources
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19402767Very dangerous if significant dose ingested
External exposure not a risk, only if ingested
"Unexplained, elevated" level of polonium-210 on Arafat's clothing, keffiyeh and toothbrush
More than 60% of polonium was not from natural sources
mattnunn said:
I heard he had AIDS
I heard that as well. Remember when they were discussing it on tv, saying it was a 'blood disorder'....hmm, wonder what that could be....Also heard that the Israelis had video of him banging some chap in a hotel room as well. And then there is the video where he is desperately ill, reaches to kiss the hand of one of his helpers, who promptly takes it away...
Nothing like a good conspiracy theory though!
It's hardly beyond their remit is it? Christ, only the CIA manages to surpass the amount of "alleged" assassinations on foreign soil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad#Alleged_operat...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad#Alleged_operat...
Mobile Chicane said:
The article basically says it is possible but no actual proof being as there was not an autopsy.Unlikey in my view for Isreal to take him out, would make limited sense. The comments made by Sharon shown earlier in this thread are not in keeping with his actions at the relevant time. Arafat did move closer to accepting a diplomatic resolution to the issue but he could never have completed the process, if only as it would have pened him up to questions from his own people he could not answer. His death increased factionalisation within the Palestiniains and this was not a suprise to anyone at all! While Abbas may have been able to run with it, Hamas prevented that which was a clear and likely outcome of Arafat passing away. Should he have been proven to have been killed by Israel it would have sparked a level of violence towards Israel that would have been counter-productive to everyone involved.
I may be wrong but I simply don't see why they would have bothered and the view that sees Sharon as a anti-Arafat / Arab / Palestinian nutter while keeping things neat is not supported by the actual facts or the actions the man took. It was however a reputation that served him well. It allowed him to make unilateral moves such as closing settlements in the full knowledge that the Palestinains would not see it as a sign of weakness at all. Sharon may have been able to move to a full resolution in time and with Abbas potentially in part becuase he was so feared that you knew if he gave an inch, you could take that but if you tried to take the whole mile he would make his displeasure extremely clear! Last of the old guard who founded the country and Israel is sadly lessened by him leaving power and the delightful Bibi taking over.... Bibi who is an excellent politician in many ways but is not strong enough to take on the right wing in Israel even if he wanted to, which is debatable. Sharon may not have been universally liked in Israel and loathed in the Arab / Palestinian lands but he was known as a man of his word and was very widely respected and not a little feared, not a bad combo in that situation!
Looks like he was.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-248380...
I wonder why - it's not as if he was massively influential or powerful at the time. If Israel wanted to kill him they could have done so years ago when he really was a thorn in their side.
How difficult is it to procure polonium? Maybe this was an intra Palestinian thing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-248380...
I wonder why - it's not as if he was massively influential or powerful at the time. If Israel wanted to kill him they could have done so years ago when he really was a thorn in their side.
How difficult is it to procure polonium? Maybe this was an intra Palestinian thing.
found the answer to my own question. Cancer Research UK says:
"one study found that a person smoking two packs a day is exposed to about 5 times as much polonium as a non-smoker but specific parts of their lungs could be exposed to hundreds of times more radiation."
Did Arafat smoke?
"one study found that a person smoking two packs a day is exposed to about 5 times as much polonium as a non-smoker but specific parts of their lungs could be exposed to hundreds of times more radiation."
Did Arafat smoke?
Chimune said:
something odd about this. reports say he had 18 times the normal amount of polonium in him.
now i presume its not 'normal' to have ANY polonium in you, but say for arguments sake there is a trace in most people.
18 times trace is still fakall.
think homeopathic polonium
Read up on the half life of polonium - the stuff disappears pretty quickly, apparently.now i presume its not 'normal' to have ANY polonium in you, but say for arguments sake there is a trace in most people.
18 times trace is still fakall.
think homeopathic polonium
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