Palestinians may exhume Yasir Arafat’s body after allegations of poisoning

The Palestinian Authority (PA) may exhume the body of former President Yasir Arafat for an autopsy after Al Jazeera found evidence that he may have been poisoned. Arafat’s widow, Suha, ordered an examination by a Swiss lab of clothing allegedly worn by Arafat, which found elevated levels of a radioactive agent, polonium-210. Arafat died in a French military hospital in 2004. Israel had confined him to a West Bank compound for three years. At the time, French doctors attributed his death to a massive stroke brought about by a blood disorder. However, reports were inconclusive, and many Palestinians have accused Israel of poisoning the former leader. Israel has always denied involvement. In a radio interview, Dov Weisglass, the chief of staff of Israel’s then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon claimed Israel never considered killing Arafat, stating Sharon "didn’t think his physical extermination would help."

Syria

Syrian opposition groups met in Cairo as Syrian forces attacked northwestern towns near Douma. During the Cairo meeting delegates devised a strategy for a post-Assad transition, but failed to agree on a unified body to represent the opposition. The main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, insisted it should be the sole coordination body. Kurdish delegates stormed out of the meeting after arguments over their representation in the group. Meanwhile, opposition activists released video of carnage from the Damascus suburb of Douma, which has been overrun by pro-Assad militiamen. Syrian forces reportedly killed 11 people in the nearby towns of Misraba and Rihan. The commander of the United Nations’ monitoring mission in Syria, Major General Robert Mood, said violence has reached "unprecedented" levels, and it would be impossible to reinstate the suspended observer mission without a cease-fire. The Free Syrian Army has reported the defection of another general from the Syrian Army, bringing the total number to 16. Meanwhile, Syria is accusing Turkey of interfering in the country’s internal affairs by providing logistical support to the opposition.

Headlines  

• The two-man crew of the Turkish F-4 Phantom jet shot down by Syria have been found. However the military has not released the location of their discovery.
• Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers in Istanbul have ended without major progress. Future meetings have been planned amid increased tensions.
• Tunisia’s media reform commission has resigned, citing government censorship.

Arguments & Analysis 

‘Yemen: Enduring Conflicts, Threatened Transition‘ (International Crisis Group)

"As messy as it has been and unfinished as it remains, Yemen’s transition accomplished two critical goals: avoiding a potentially devastating civil war and securing the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had ruled the impoverished country for over three decades. It also cracked the regime’s foundations, while making it possible to imagine new rules of the game. Still, much remains in doubt, notably the scope and direction of change. The nation essentially has witnessed a political game of musical chairs, one elite faction swapping places with the other but remaining at loggerheads."

‘For Putin, Principle vs. Practicality on Syria‘ (Ellen Barry, The New York Times)

"In short, Syria has provided Russia with an opportunity to say no — to Western intervention and to the specter of revolution…As the body count rises, one of Moscow’s real concerns may be the hardening of Arab public opinion against Russia, said a senior Arab diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in accordance with protocol. With the increasing reach of news channels like Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya – which regularly run gruesome video of massacres in Syria – Russia’s officials have been forced to accept that "unlike the last four decades, now the Arab street has a voice," the diplomat said."

‘Torture Archipelago‘ (Human Rights Watch)

"Since the beginning of anti-government protests in March 2011, Syrian authorities have subjected tens of thousands of people to arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, ill-treatment, and torture using an extensive network of detention facilities, an archipelago of torture centers, scattered throughout Syria. Based on more than 200 interviews with former detainees, including women and children, and defectors from the Syrian military and intelligence agencies, this report focuses on 27 of these detention facilities. For each facility, most of them with cells and torture chambers and one or several underground floors, we provide the exact location, identify the agencies responsible for operating them, document the type of ill-treatment and torture used, and name, to the extent possible, the individuals running them. The facilities included in this report are those for which multiple witnesses have indicated the same location and provided detailed descriptions about the use of torture. The actual number of such facilities is likely much higher."

–By Jennifer Parker and Mary Casey