Palestinian boy repeats libel: “The Jews put poison in [Arafat’s] food, and then he died;” PA TV host agrees

Official PA TV, on the 13th anniversary of the death of former PLO and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat

TV host: "What do you want to tell us?"
Boy: "About Yasser Arafat..."
Palestinian boy Adnan: "When he – they lifted the siege – when they came before he died – the Jews put poison in his food, and then he died."
Official PA TV host: "Bravo! That is very important information. Arafat was poisoned to death. Correct, his food was poisoned and he died as a Martyr. Bravo, very clever, my friend Adnan."

Following PLO and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's death in November 2004, the PA created the libel that Israel murdered Arafat, and it has been spreading it since then. Swiss, Russian, and French teams have studied these claims. In 2012, samples were taken from Arafat’s remains to be tested for poisoning, and Swiss and Russian teams afterwards published the results of their tests: The Swiss team concluded that the tests were "coherent with a hypothesis of poisoning" - but a member of the team also stated that "our study did not permit us to demonstrate categorically the hypothesis of poisoning by polonium." The Russian report concluded that "there was insufficient evidence to support the theory that Yasser Arafat died in 2004 by polonium poisoning." [Reuters, Nov. 8, 2013] In March 2015, three French judges ruled that "it has not been demonstrated that Mr. Yasser Arafat was murdered by polonium-210 poisoning." The French prosecutor stated that there was "not sufficient evidence of an intervention by a third party who could have attempted to take his life." [France 24, Sept. 2, 2015] The French prosecutor also explained that the polonium and lead found in Arafat’s grave were “of an environmental nature.” [Jerusalem Post, March 17, 2015].

Despite these results, the PA continues to blame Israel for Arafat’s death without any proof or backing for this claim.