I think it was more like this:
Honesty: “Some guys say they heard an animal. I think it was a horse.”
Swiss Guy Who Heard the Noise: “Actually, we’re not sure what animal it was. It might have been a horse or a cow.”
Honesty: “It’s official. It was a horse.”
Russian Guy Who Heard the Noise: “We heard mooing. It was definitely not a horse.”
Honesty: "You killed a horse once. So what you heard doesn’t count. "
Sorry. I succumbed to a good set-up line, and said something I shouldn’t. Won’t happen again.
Me too. But I don’t think anything of substance has been said in this thread that wasn’t about underpants.
As for speculating who might have killed him, and had the ability to get polonium from Russia- what about the CIA?
Not so much to kill him outright but to foment rebellion amongst teh Arabs. And to kill him.
I’m wondering if I’m the only one who finds it suspicious that a 75 year-old man could die without being tested for Polonium poisoning before now. Too suspicious.
He had French doctors. He should have been tested for everything.
It’s official: Yasser Arafat is still dead.
And they specialize Golden Oldies.
And we have a winner.
Let me try this again and slow it down for you.
Observation #1: Arafat became ill in early October 2004 and initially diagnosed with influenza by Israeli physicians. Arafat’s symptoms were largely gastrointestinal and consisted severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. He died three weeks later in a French hospital of what was determined to be a stroke.
Observation #2: Two years later, in November 2006,Mr. Litvinenko was admitted into a hospital with diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. While Mr. Litvinenko’s medical reports have yet to be publically released, we do know UK doctors found traces of polonium. Mr. Litvinenko died three weeks later of what was determined to be radiation poisoning.
Observation #3: Polonium is very rare and highly radioactive element that is only stable is the cores of uranium. Because polonium requires the refinement of uranium, only countries with high technological expertise would be able to provide stable polonium. Polonium is an alpha-particle emitter which is blocked by an intact epithelial barrier, oral ingestion of polonium would not spread radioactivity to others.
** Observation #4:**Unlike Mr. Litvinenko, neither French or Israeli doctors tested Arafat for polonium poisoning.
Hypothesis: Mr. Arafat was exposed to polonium 210.
Experiment: Swiss doctors tested clothes and belongings (e.g. toothbrush) that Arafat used when he was sick. The scientists used two controls consisting of reference sample (e.g. new toothbrush) and other belongings of Arafat when he was not sick. The highest recorded sample had 50x more radioactivity than controls.
**Discussion: ** Since polonium 210 emits alpha particles which are repelled from an intact epithelial barrier, oral ingestion of polonium 210 would kill the targeted person and onlythe targeted person.
Conclusion: Mr. Arafat likely died from acute radiation syndrome from exposure to polonium 210.
But doesn’t the conspiracy go both ways? Couldn’t we assume that the paucity research on the biological effects of polonium 210, makes it a rather elegant (if not exquisite) tool in assassinating dissidents? Couldn’t we assume that Russian scientists smudged the data to appease Putin? Couldn’t we assume that the authors, scientists, and/or editors pulled back on their conclusions out of fear of personal/polotical retribution? Since UK tested Mr. Livinenko for radiation within three weeks, why didn’t this occur to the scientists and doctors from Israel and France in the case of Mr. Arafat? What precisely is it about UK healthcare that they would test for radiation poisoning but it doesn’t occur to Israeli or French doctors? Is there something specific in their training, certification, efficiency that allows one country to do what two countries failed to do in concert?
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It would be nice if the Russians could release their (negative) data along with the materials and methods used to conduct the experiment. Did the French come out with their data yet?
I agree with this. Did she ever give a reason why she prevented an autopsy?
Mr. Arafat experienced most symptoms of acute radiation syndrome (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue) with the exception of hair loss. This would suggest to me that Mr. Arafat was given a lower dose of polonium than Mr. Litvinenko.
You can slow it all the way down and park it in the driveway if it makes you happy. But that doesn’t change the lack of conclusive evidence you’re stuck with.
Why bring Alexander Litvinenko into this? Yes, he died of polonium poisoning in 2006. You know what else happened in 2006? Actress Adrienne Shelley was murdered in her home by a burglar. So should we conclude that Yasser Arafat was also killed by a burglar? (One who, no doubt, was secretly working for the Israelis.)
Despite you claims, Arafat’s death was not consistent with polonium poisoning. You’re waving this away like it’s not important. But it really is. The way Arafat died is genuine evidence about what caused his death.
And then there’s the polonium. And this, I will grant, is also real evidence. And it actually does indicate the possibility of polonium poisoning. But the key word here is possibility - you can’t simply seize on one piece of evidence and ignore all of the other evidence you don’t like.
The very scientists who found the evidence you’re so stuck with have said it’s not conclusive. Other scientists who have examined the same evidence disagree with the findings. So there is no basis for your conclusion that your theory is an established fact. At best, it’s a possibility.
And here’s a counter-theory. Perhaps Suha Arafat and other supporters of her late husband want to promote the belief that Israel murdered her husband in 2004. So they contaminated some of his belongings with polonium and gave those belongings to scientists to be tested.
Now I’m not claiming this is “official”. It’s just a possibility. But it matches the available evidence better than your theory does. It explains why Arafat did not show the symptoms of polonium poisoning when he died. It explains why his widow did not have her husband’s remains examined directly. It explains why some of his belongings show signs of polonium contamination and some do not. And it explains why there was a nine year delay in bringing up this accusation rather than at the time of his death when the findings would have been more conclusive.
Where would Mrs. Arafat retrieve polonium? It’s only stable in the cores of highly enriched uranium. Did Mr or Mrs. Arafat receive training in nuclear physics or had access to physics laboratory?
Both Arafats know/knew plenty of people who know people who can acquire things. I imagine she could get it if she wanted.
Perhaps a jihadist organization gave it to her to use for the greater glory of the cause.
A very relevant issue. Yes, it’s theoretically possible that Suha Arafat could find someone both able & willing to sell her Polonium. But is it really likely? Radioactive substances are the most tightly-controlled substances on the planet. So far, the one and only confirmed case of Polonium poisoning (Litvinenko) was carried out with explicit government backing (Russia). That makes pefect sense, because outside of Hollywood movies it’s pretty much impossible to get useful amounts of radioactive substances without explicit government backing.
Am I the only person who thinks it’s possible that the Arafat polonium poisoning (if that was, in fact, what it was) was a dry run to test the method that later took mister Litvinenko out?
I don’t necessarily believe that’s the case, but if we’re making WAGs about it, I think it should be added to the list.
So are people now suggesting that the Russians killed Arafat?
Given the long time that’s passed since his death, and the high levels still found in his belongings, I think it’s probably more likely that the contamination of his items occurred some time after his death. On the source of this contamination, whether incidental or deliberate, I do not know.
Sigh. Let’s try it again and slow it down for Honesty.
Arafat had symptoms of gastroenteritis, was found to be suffering from heart disease and died of what was diagnosed as a hemorrhagic stroke. He did not exhibit typical signs of radiation poisoning such as bone marrow suppression or hair loss which occur when rapidly dividing cells are disproportionately affected by radiation (the G.I. symptoms could go along with this, but could go along with numerous other etiologies as well, such as viral gastroenteritis. For instance, a few years ago I suffered marked nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and spent a weekend flat on my back (when I wasn’t crawling to the toilet). Those were the same symptoms ascribed to Litvinenko. I had norovirus. By your not-so-impeccable logic, Livinenko had norovirus too.
There was no reason to. There was good evidence of what really ailed him, and no evidence which would have led anyone with good medical training to suspect polonium ingestion.
We don’t know those actually were Arafat’s belongings, or if they were that they weren’t tampered with in the years intervening between his death and testing.
Reasonable conclusion: The testers cited in the OP reported finding polonium. The gap between their cautious appraisal and concluding that Arafat was poisoned by Israel some nefarious Israel entity israel! makes the Grand Canyon look tiny by comparison.