Arafat's medical files released, but not public yet

Some recent developments on the causes of Arafat's death story:

The French government has said that Arafat was not poisoned.

"If the doctors had had the slightest doubt, they would have referred it to the police. I note that permission was given for him to be buried," government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said after the weekly French cabinet meeting.

The Palestinian leadership has been wondering publicly about the cause of his death, but brushed aside allegations that he was poisoned by Israel:

"The conditions surrounding the death of President Yasser Arafat raises questions," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie's office said in a statement.

Palestinian leaders have dismissed speculation among ordinary Palestinians that Arafat was poisoned by Israel, which has also denied any involvement. No evidence has been provided to back the allegation of poisoning.

France's Le Monde newspaper quoted doctors on Wednesday as saying Arafat, 75, a longtime symbol of Palestinian nationalism, suffered from an unusual blood disease and a liver problem.

Our favorite Zionist hack, Daniel Pipes, is pushing for the AIDS theory in this ridiculous post where he suggests that Arafat dying of AIDS is "what is really on the minds of serious people" and praises the tabloid for covering this issue while the broadsheets haven't mentioned it. It continue to boggle the mind that this guy has any credibility.

Suha Arafat dashed from Paris from her hideaway in Tunisia (she's been living between Tunisia and Paris for the past few years and is very close to Tunisian President Ben Ali's wife -- one of the most corrupt Arab first ladies, by the way) to beat Yasser Arafat's nephew to get the medical files:

Suha Arafat has been given copies of the medical files of her late husband Yasser Arafat and then flew to Tunisia, as the late Palestinian president's nephew was expected in the French capital to pick up the same documents amid some controversy.

Defence ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Qidwa, who was travelling to Paris, had the right to access to the information if he requested it.

But the Paris lawyers of Suha Arafat had said the dossier should only be given to "the children and the widow."

Bureau told AFP that it was not up to the ministry to confirm or deny what the lawyers believed but in any case Qidwa had the right to see the file if he so wished.

So hopefully this will mean she'll make the causes of his death public soon -- unless there's something embarrassing to hide.