Arafat Poisoned?

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-12 11:22am

CBC.CA wrote: AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - A leading Jordanian neurologist who regularly examined Yasser Arafat said on Friday that poisoning was the "highest" probable cause of the Palestinian leader's mysterious death and urged that an autopsy be performed.

"One of the causes of platelet deficiency is poison," said Dr. Ashraf al-Kurdi, who examined a gravely ill Arafat in his besieged compound in the West Bank town of Rammallah two weeks ago.

Arafat died Thursday in Paris, where he had flown Oct. 29 for treatment after tests indicated he had a low count of blood platelets, components that help clotting.

Although "not definitive, I believe the highest reason for Arafat's mysterious death is poisoning," al-Kurdi told The Associated Press in an interview on Friday.

"Therefore, there should be an autopsy performed," added al-Kurdi, who had been Arafat's personal physician for the last two decades.

There has been widespread speculation that Arafat could have been poisoned by Israel. Neither doctors nor Palestinian leaders have said what caused Arafat's death after days in a coma at a Paris hospital.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Thursday dismissed allegations that Israel killed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as "scandalous and false."

Well it was only a matter of time before people started blaming Israel.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-11-12 11:24am

Well that does it. From now until the end of time, The Palestinians and their apologists will always raise the spectre of Israeli having caused the death of Arafat. There will be no autopsy because having Israeli as the bad guy in this is precisely what they want. Because lord knows the Palestinians wouldn't have killed their own.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-12 11:27am

Stravo wrote:Well that does it. From now until the end of time, The Palestinians and their apologists will always raise the spectre of Israeli having caused the death of Arafat. There will be no autopsy because having Israeli as the bad guy in this is precisely what they want. Because lord knows the Palestinians wouldn't have killed their own.

Do Muslims have any faith based objection to autopsies?

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-11-12 11:33am

Cpl Kendall wrote:
Stravo wrote:Well that does it. From now until the end of time, The Palestinians and their apologists will always raise the spectre of Israeli having caused the death of Arafat. There will be no autopsy because having Israeli as the bad guy in this is precisely what they want. Because lord knows the Palestinians wouldn't have killed their own.
Do Muslims have any faith based objection to autopsies?

I believe they like the Jews view it as a desecration of the corpse. They also have traditions that the body should be buried withn 24 hours of death.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-11-12 11:34am

Cpl Kendall wrote:
Stravo wrote:Well that does it. From now until the end of time, The Palestinians and their apologists will always raise the spectre of Israeli having caused the death of Arafat. There will be no autopsy because having Israeli as the bad guy in this is precisely what they want. Because lord knows the Palestinians wouldn't have killed their own.
Do Muslims have any faith based objection to autopsies?

well, i do know that the Koran demands a body be buried by sunset the next day. And i don't think they take to kindly to exhumation.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-12 11:36am

Col. Crackpot wrote:
well, i do know that the Koran demands a body be buried by sunset the next day. And i don't think they take to kindly to exhumation.

Well seeing as an autopshy is the only way to prove whether he was killed or not, they can claim Israel killed him all they want. The best thing for them is it doesn't require justification, as they most likely would not permit them to exhum the body.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-11-12 11:40am

Damn, the tinfoil manics will be waving this around like mad. Has will almost every muslim terrorist for the next 20 years, I'll bet money on it. Thing is it is believable that an Israeli agent decided to take him out.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-12 11:44am

frigidmagi wrote:Damn, the tinfoil manics will be waving this around like mad. Has will almost every muslim terrorist for the next 20 years, I'll bet money on it. Thing is it is believable that an Israeli agent decided to take him out.

It's believable. But why now? Why not kill him in his prime? He's been in poor health for a while now, it could just have easily been old age.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-11-12 11:49am

And so, it begins.

Or continues, rather.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-11-12 11:51am

How very convienient. That they abhor exhumation and how the body must be buried uber-quick....how very, very convienient. Islam seems almost tailor-made to sate tinfoil hat nutters and built around maintaining a hatred for pretty much anything, anywhere, any time, for any reason you can conjure up.

Nice.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-11-12 11:51am

I'm betting it was old age, but how many arabs will want to buy that when they can blame the *ahem* Occupicationist Zionist Enitity excuse me, couldn't help myself.

Korvan · Post by **Korvan** » 2004-11-12 02:45pm

I read an article on this that had a Palestinian saying, "We demand the leaders tell us the truth! We know the truth!" I then pictured Sharon standing up and yelling, "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!"

Was Arafat encourging terrorists or holding them back these last few years? Or even doing nothing. I think we're going to find out pretty soon.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-11-12 02:48pm

Actually, Israel has no reason whatsoever to try and kill off Arafat, for this express reason. Why else would they let him live in that bunker for three damned years?

Bob the Gunslinger · Post by **Bob the Gunslinger** » 2004-11-12 03:58pm

frigidmagi wrote:Damn, the tinfoil manics will be waving this around like mad. Has will almost every muslim terrorist for the next 20 years, I'll bet money on it. Thing is it is believable that an Israeli agent decided to take him out.

Is it not even more believable that the walking dead-man that Arafat has been for the last few years just finally collapsed?

For the last few months, Arafat looked worse off than my Grandfather did the day before he died. And he had Parkinson's something aweful.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-12 04:04pm

Bob the Gunslinger wrote:
Is it not even more believable that the walking dead-man that Arafat has been for the last few years just finally collapsed?

Resonable people would believe that. But these are not resonable people. The Palestinians will be only to happy to blame Israel for their beloved thugs death, it means they get to play the victim again.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2004-11-12 05:22pm

The reason it works even better now than when he was in his prime is that it is deniable. If he mysteriously died of platelet deprivation in his youth, the Israelis could insist that "yes, he was probably poisoned, but we didn't do it, and we need to find out who did." Now, they'll probably respond with "no, he wasn't poisoned, it was just old age." Rather than being able to deflect blame, they'll merely be denying blame. Deflection is more effective, and is less able to turn into tin-hat conspiracy theories. If he was assassinated, particularly by a third-party or Palestinian sympathizers who felt he was losing power, they picked a damn good time to do it from a conspiracy point of view.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-12 05:27pm

The Dark wrote:The reason it works even better now than when he was in his prime is that it is deniable. If he mysteriously died of platelet deprivation in his youth, the Israelis could insist that "yes, he was probably poisoned, but we didn't do it, and we need to find out who did." Now, they'll probably respond with "no, he wasn't poisoned, it was just old age." Rather than being able to deflect blame, they'll merely be denying blame. Deflection is more effective, and is less able to turn into tin-hat conspiracy theories. If he was assassinated, particularly by a third-party or Palestinian sympathizers who felt he was losing power, they picked a damn good time to do it from a conspiracy point of view.

And given Islams beliefs on burial and autopsies, it's fool proof. I still believe it was old age though.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2004-11-12 05:34pm

Cpl Kendall wrote:And given Islams beliefs on burial and autopsies, it's fool proof. I still believe it was old age though.

As do I. He was elderly, he lived a very hard life as a young man. That portion of the world does not have the greatest health care, and most likely he allowed the disease/illness/whatever to run for some time before actively seeking medical help, in order to help save face. His health had been shaky for years, and I see no reason to doubt that he finally just had too much stress accumulated on his body.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2004-11-12 05:45pm

Israel is not that...subtle, when it comes to assassinations, I believe. If they had wanted to kill Arafat they would have just blown him up.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2004-11-12 06:25pm

Remember after 9/11Muslim conspiracy mongers were simultaneous celebrating the destruction of the two towers and claiming that Israel behind it. If the Muslim world can managed to swallow that, what will they do with a theory that is slightly credible?

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-12 06:30pm

Imperial Overlord wrote:Remember after 9/11Muslim conspiracy mongers were simultaneous celebrating the destruction of the two towers and claiming that Israel behind it. If the Muslim world can managed to swallow that, what will they do with a theory that is slightly credible?

Probably shout it from the highest points of land around.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-11-12 07:16pm

What fucking stupidity. The French doctors who treated him specifically said they'd ruled out poisoning. Clearly the French are also in on the conspiracy.

CmdrWilkens · Post by **CmdrWilkens** » 2004-11-12 07:34pm

Cpl Kendall wrote:
Imperial Overlord wrote:Remember after 9/11Muslim conspiracy mongers were simultaneous celebrating the destruction of the two towers and claiming that Israel behind it. If the Muslim world can managed to swallow that, what will they do with a theory that is slightly credible?
Probably shout it from the highest points of land around.

You mean the 20ft sand dune instead of just the 10ft sand dune?

On the serious side of things its going to be one of those things that won't be settled until 150 years from now things have changed radiacally around the world and someone finally gets around to exhuming the body. Of course by that point the deranged guys acting in the name of vengance for Arafat's death will have already done their job.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-11-12 11:00pm

On the completely conspiracy theory nutter side of things. What if he did die of poison but it was because he did it to himself purposely?

Imagine, he figures he's dieing anyway so he decides to get that one last fuck you/martyr move in and poisons himself.

Natorgator · Post by **Natorgator** » 2004-11-12 11:04pm

Although I doubt Israel would do such a thing (I agree that they'd blow him up instead) it is somewhat odd that he fell sick and died so quickly.

Unless he had AIDS..