Swiss scientists have told a news conference that the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat did have radioactive polonium in his body.<br /><br />But although they acknowledge that he could have been poisoned, the experts have not confirmed that this was what killed the 75-year-old in 2004. And they have not attributed blame, either.<br /><br />In Gaza, one man interviewed on the street pointed to differences between Arafat and other Palestinian political leaders. <br /><br />“Some say Mohamed Dahlan was behind the poisoning, others say Mahmoud Abbas. It is still unclear,” he said.<br /><br />But ultimately, he blamed Israel.<br /><br />“We blame the occupation authorities who imposed a siege on him. And the occupation had agents everywhere and it is sure that they sent the poison that was placed in his food, via a collaborator.”<br /><br />Arafat’s widow believes her husband was assassinated but the experts are cautious.<br /><br />At the news conference, they said the high levels of polonium found did indicate third party involvement. But they could not show categorically that polonium poisoning was the cause of death.<br /><br />The Israeli government has denied any role in Arafat’s death, officially caused by a massive stroke. A foreign ministry spokesman said: “This is more soap opera than science”.
