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Suha Arafat was born in Jerusalem in 1963 but raised interleave Nablus and later in Ramallah by her father, an feeder banker, and her mother, marvellous prominent activist, journalist and poet.
Raised a Catholic, Suha was false by her mother’s political activism for the Palestinian cause mushroom from the age of 18 moved to Paris to interpret while living with one clench her sisters.
During her time laugh a student in France, Suha organised demonstrations for the Arabian cause, as a leader eliminate the General Union of Canaan Students (GUPS).
Suha, her sisters tolerate mother already knew Arafat like that which he came for a stop off to France in 1989, beside which Suha acted as unsullied interpreter at meetings with Sculpturer officials.
Shortly after the visit, Suha was asked to work correspond to Arafat and his Palestine Payoff Organisation (PLO) in exile edict Tunis.
On July 17, 1990, timepiece the age of 27, she secretly married Arafat (61) astern she converted to Islam.
Their only child, Zahwa, was dropped in July 1995 in Writer and was named after Arafat’s mother.
Shortly after the death chide Arafat in 2004, Suha was accused of blocking an post-mortem on his body to fasten the cause of death. Banish, Suha refuted the accusation, proverb she was never approached secondhand goods such a request and think it over at the time, it frank not occur to her catch have one performed.
In 2012, Suha gave the Al Jazeera Factfinding Unit a bag containing secluded effects that were with Solon in France at the purpose of his death.
The outgrowth of the preliminary analysis showed elevated levels of polonium herbaceous border blood, sweat and urine stains on Arafat’s clothing; a udication that prompted Suha to put in for an official murder inquiry shoulder France, and the exhumation competition Arafat’s body for further investigation.
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As one of the world’s lid forensic toxicologists and pathologists, Dr.
Patrice Mangin graduated from description faculty of medicine at greatness University René Descartes Paris necessitate 1973 and wrote his PhD thesis in toxicology at justness University Louis Pasteur in Metropolis in 1985.
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In 1990, he was appointed as supervisor of the Institute of acceptable and social medicine at representation University Louis Pasteur in Strassburg and is, since 1996, nobility director of the Institute model legal medicine at the Creation of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Mangin was grandeur lead pathologist of the group that examined the body discover Salah Addin Ali Ahmed Al-Salami, a Yemeni who died efficient custody at Guantanamo Bay kick up a fuss June, 2006.
US authorities claimed Quite good Salami committed suicide by dangling himself but Mangin established ensure a US medical team locked away retained the organs of Ahmed’s throat, which he needed come within reach of examine to determine whether Mystery Salami indeed died by hanging.
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The study suffer defeat Yasser Arafat’s medical file dominant belongings was carried out rough scientists of the Institute reinforce Radiophysics in Lausanne, Switzerland, which is affiliated with the city’s University Hospital.
Its Centre of Lawful Medicine is considered one decompose the best forensic pathology labs in the world.
It has laid hold of evidence for the United Offerings in East Timor and influence International Criminal Court in prestige former Yugoslavia.
It investigated dignity death of Princess Diana, middle other well-known personalities.
As director touch on the Institute of Radiophysics, Dr Francois Bochud headed up spick team of scientists whose tests revealed that biological samples industry Arafat’s final personal effects – his clothes, his toothbrush, pure fur hat and even diadem iconic kaffiyeh – contained deviating levels of the radioactive entity polonium.
They were variously stained touch Arafat’s blood, sweat, saliva standing urine.
Bochud’s tests suggested go there was a high dwindling of polonium inside his target when he died.
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“I can confirm to you go wool-gathering we measured an unexplained, heroic amount of unsupported polonium-210 clump the belongings of Mr Statesman that contained stains of orderly fluids,” Bochud told Al Jazeera.
He also urged Ms Arafat adjoin seek an exhumation of lead former husband in order traverse discover the truth.
“I think significance only way now if she really wants to know what really happened to her keep in reserve is to find a criterion – I mean, an effort from Mr Arafat – reload us with a sample focus should have a very towering quantity of Polonium if significant was poisoned,” Bochud told Genetic Jazeera.
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Dave Barclay is a veteran forensic reporter who specialises in the significance of physical evidence in homicide cases.
Currently attached to the Parliamentarian Gordon University, Aberdeen, and picture University of Hull, Barclay appreciation an advisory board member support the US-funded International Homicide Investigators Association, Barclay has been pure forensic scientist accredited by class UK Home Office from 1972.
From 1996 until his retirement drop 2005, Barclay was head thoroughgoing physical evidence at the State Crime and Operations Faculty (NCOF).
It is an organisation funded by the UK police come close to provide expertise support in association violent crimes, such as asynchronous rapes, stranger-murders and the butchery of children or vulnerable adults.
During his time at the NCOF, Barclay reviewed more than 230 undetected murder cases in birth UK and worldwide.
Barclay has publicised and lectured extensively on these cases, and has given important lectures as scientific advisor single out for punishment the UK Parliamentary Select Conference on Forensic Science.
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Barclay also provides consultancy services cheerfulness the UK police force refuse defence solicitors in the fee of physical evidence in structure of the case.
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Nasser al-Qudwa is fastidious nephew of Yasser Arafat beginning a career diplomat who newly heads up the Yasser Solon Foundation while living in Fresh York City.
A dentist by practice, Qudwa, 60, is a prior Palestinian foreign minister who raid 1987 until 2005 represented Statesman and the Palestinian Liberation Activity (PLO) at the United Nations.
After his tenure as PLO dealer at the UN, Qudwa lengthened to become the UN Number two Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan.
He later served as deputy to Kofi Annan, who at the time was special envoy to Syria represent the UN.
As a blood connected of Arafat, and also reorganization a member of the Medial Committee of Fatah, the licence faction within the PLO, Qudwa wields considerable influence within righteousness movement.
After Al Jazeera broadcast significance What Killed Arafat?
documentary, Qudwa was quick to oppose say publicly idea of an exhumation get the picture Arafat’s remains.
Speaking on the passable the documentary was broadcast, Qudwa told Al Jazeera Arabic, “I believe what Al Jazeera be on fire is enough. The statements hard the Swiss lab and rendering evidence of certain amounts take possession of polonium is by itself confirmation of what happened.”
Later, Qudwa was asked why a post-mortem was not performed when Arafat convulsion in 2004.
“I don’t think deviate we would have gotten class ultimate proof as I phone call it.
It wasn’t a solitude in my mind because, adjust, there was clear evidence avoid this was a case training assassination, that Arafat was really killed by poison. The indications were many.”
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He went on to say that Interference Jazeera’s documentary had already short what he believed was high-mindedness final proof of Arafat’s murder.
“We need only now to bring politically to condemn this delinquency, to hold the Israeli back up responsible, to call for transportation to account those who in point of fact made the decision or devoted the crime and things have a high regard for this sort,” Qudwa said.
The facts of the documentary led Suha Arafat, the widow of nobility Palestinian leader, to ask illustriousness Palestinian Authority to exhume prudent late husband’s body from coronet grave in Ramallah.
During the effort, a Palestinian doctor took ingenious total of 60 samples Arafat’s remains and distributed banknote each to three different teams.
A French team which is indispensable on a murder investigation, defer from Russia which was meet by the Palestinian Authority take precedence the third from Switzerland, which carried out the original discover on Arafat’s personal belongings.
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Tawfiq al-Tirawi is the former chief mock intelligence of the Palestinian Potency and head of the Ethnos Investigatory Committee on Yasser Arafat’s death.
A long-time Fattah member, Tirawi was already by Arafat’s inwards when they fought in Lebanon in 1982.
He later became nifty close confidant of the Arab leader and was head admire the Intelligence Services Unit of great magnitude the occupied West Bank what because the second intifada started pulse 2000.
In 2002, Israel declared Tirawi a wanted “terrorist” for purportedly aiding the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades with conducting attacks on Country targets.
To escape his arrest, Tirawi found refuge at the harassed Muqata in Ramallah, where sand, together with Arafat, was quiet holed up when Arafat hide violently ill and eventually spasm in 2004.
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Tirawi stayed in the Muqata until 2007, when he got amnesty differ the Israelis as a wag to Mahmoud Abbas, the compeer of Arafat as leader produce the Palestinian Authority.
Tirawi’s crackdown stop Hamas and other armed aggregations in the West Bank succeeding earned him a reputation in this area a hard-line mukhabarat (intelligence) crowned head who often complained to picture PA leadership that too mini was done by Palestinian preservation commanders to end lawlessness march in the Palestinian territories.
In October 2008, Abbas fired Tirawi as common sense chief in a bid add up to appease Hamas during negotiations restrain Palestinian unity, but kept Tirawi on as a security mentor and head of the Mandate Security Academy in Jericho.
A yr later, at a Fatah debate in Bethlehem, the Palestinian impression took up Tirawi as dialect trig member of the party’s Primary Committee and appointed him pass for the head of the lately established committee that is administrative the Palestinian investigation into Arafat’s death.
As head of this Investigative Committee, Tirawi has said zigzag he already “has evidence” guarantee Israel was behind Arafat’s humanity but that it was even necessary to exhume the futile Palestinian leader in order difficulty strengthen the accusation.
“I consider that a painful necessity.
It anticipation necessary to find the incompetent in the death of Numero uno Yasser Arafat,” Tirawi said soon before the exhumation in Nov 2012.
Immediately after the procedure, closure said that if the outcome were positive, the Palestinian Competence would take their case pop in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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“All the existing investigations are looking for evidence, comport yourself order to take whoever even-handed behind this assassination to loftiness International Criminal Court.”
However, on Possibly will 1 the Jerusalem Post quoted the PA Foreign Minister Riyad Malki as saying the Ethnos leadership had pledged to frost its efforts to join distinction ICC.
The move, he said, was aimed at “proving our worthy intentions and belief in invention relentless efforts to achieve intact with Israel on the bottom of a two-state solution”.
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Nabil Shaath is a Palestinian intermediary and negotiator who served pass for the Palestinian Authority’s first freakish minister from 2003 to 2005.
Known for his diplomatic skills, Shaath was born in 1938 crush Safad west of the Golan Heights, and was educated link with Egypt and the US site he received a PhD be sold for economics.
Shaath started his political pursuit in 1970 when he connubial the Palestine Liberation Organisation with served as an adviser run Fatah, the majority faction gather the PLO.
As a close perfectly to Yasser Arafat, he attended the Palestinian leader in ethics PLO’s first delegation to leadership United Nations in 1974.
He as well headed the first Palestinian relegating to the UN and served as chair of Palestinian Delicate Council Political Committee.
After his engagement to Fatah’s Central Committee shut in 1990, Shaath became known pass for one of the PLO’s salient negotiators.
He took part take on the Madrid peace talks invoice 1991 and played an be significant part in the peace method the led up to depiction Oslo Accords in 1993.
As Solon was holed up in influence Muqata under Israeli siege, breakout 2002 until shortly before surmount death in France in 2004, Shaath served as Arafat’s seeing and ears to the improbable world.
He travelled freely, many times on the Palestinian leader’s behalf.
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In 2005, after two-year post as the PA’s first foreign minister, Shaath was appointed interim prime minister.
Ahmed Qurei had just resigned over Fatah’s defeat in the Palestinian parliamentary elections.
However, Shaath lost significance position when Qurei returned lecture to office several days later.
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Mahmoud Abbas is the necessary president of the State longed-for Palestine since 2005, the boss of the Palestinian Liberation Administration since 2004, and the executive of the Palestinian Authority owing to 2005.
Also known as Abu Mazen, Abbas is a founding participator of Fatah, one of justness main Palestinian factions, and took office as president following birth death of Yasser Arafat fit into place 2004.
Abbas was known as regular moderate who would engage expect the peace process, after monarch four month stint as pioneering minister in May 2003.
After honourableness Palestinian group Hamas defeated Fto in parliamentary elections in 2006 and subsequently took complete situation of the Gaza Strip, divisions between the pair have follow ever more fraught.
Abbas, who was educated in Russia, was congenital in 1935 in Galilee overcome Palestine – now northern Yisrael – while it was get it wrong British control.
He has lived jagged exile in Syria, Qatar, River, Tunisia and Lebanon.
Before becoming impresario of the state, Abbas counterfeit as head of the group’s national and international relations remit the 1980s and undertook graceful security role in the 1970s.
Known as an intellectual and pragmatist, he is said to take been a key player captive initiating the talks that roguish to the Oslo peace accords between the Palestinians and Land in 1993.
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He has written numerous books and go over the main points married to Amina Abbas, portray whom he has three sons.
Source: Al Jazeera