If Arafat were still alive

[Violet_Crumble]

Israel should take no comfort from inter-Arab conflicts. Peace depends on Palestinian unity

Uri Avnery
Wednesday January 31, 2007
The Guardian

'If Arafat were alive..." One hears this phrase increasingly often in conversations with Palestinians, and also with Israelis and foreigners. "If Arafat were alive, what's happening now in Gaza wouldn't be happening..." "If Arafat were alive, we would have somebody to talk with..." "If Arafat were alive, Islamic fundamentalism would not have won among the Palestinians and would have lost some force in the neighbouring countries!"
In the meantime, the unanswered questions come up again: how did Yasser Arafat die? Was he murdered?

On the way back from Arafat's funeral in 2004, I ran into Jamal Zahalka, a member of the Israeli Knesset. I asked him if he believed that Arafat was murdered. Zahalka, a doctor of pharmacology, answered "Yes!" without hesitation. That was my feeling too. But a hunch is not proof. It is only a product of intuition, common sense and experience.

Recently we got a kind of confirmation. Just before he died last month, Uri Dan, Ariel Sharon's loyal mouthpiece for almost 50 years, published a book in France. It includes a report of a conversation Sharon told him about, with President Bush. Sharon asked for permission to kill Arafat and Bush gave it to him, with the proviso that it must be done undetectably. When Dan asked Sharon whether it had been carried out, Sharon answered: "It's better not to talk about that." Dan took this as confirmation.

The secret services of many countries have poisons that are all but undetectable. Ten years ago, Mossad tried to kill Khaled Mashal, the Hamas leader, in broad daylight on a thoroughfare in Amman. He was saved only when the Israeli government was compelled to provide the antidote to the poison it had used. Viktor Yushchenko, the president of Ukraine, was poisoned and saved only when the symptoms were identified by experts in time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2002298,00.html

[eyl]

1. Ah, Uri's sloppy rantings again

The secret services of many countries have poisons that are all but undetectable. Ten years ago, Mossad tried to kill Khaled Mashal, the Hamas leader, in broad daylight on a thoroughfare in Amman. He was saved only when the Israeli government was compelled to provide the antidote to the poison it had used. Viktor Yushchenko, the president of Ukraine, was poisoned and saved only when the symptoms were identified by experts in time.

Would it be rude of me to point out that in neither example were the poisons "undetectable"?

[Tom Joad]

2. Good article. People like Avnery who are targeted by folks who

do not support human rights in Israel/Palestine. Uri should be proud of his work.

[Tom Joad]

3. People should read the whole article, the first several paragraphs deal

with the possibility that Arafat was killed by Israel (not conclusive) , the rest of it has to do with the harm it does to Israel's real interests in inciting factionalism within the Palestinian movement.

[breakaleg]

4. Who would have thought the day would come when people would wish to have Arafat back.

[pelsar]

5. what day is that?

sure hasnt arrived over here

[newyorican]

6. The only good Palestian...

....


:sarcasm:

[cool user name]

7. Thanks for posting, Violet._Crumble ...

As usual, Uri tellin' it like it is.

[pampango]

8. ...banks in Paris and Geneva would have a lot more money.