Former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani claimed in a recent interview with Kuwait’s Al-Qabas that Palestinian iconic leader Yasser Arafat was killed by someone close to him.
Al Thani was asked whether he believed in claims that Arafat had been murdered. “They are not claims,” he said, “This is the truth”. He added that Arafat was “definitely” killed by “someone close to him”.
Former Qatari PM and FM Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani: Yasser Arafat Was Killed by People in His Own Inner Circle #Qatar #Palestinians pic.twitter.com/GjhxfrzszR
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) February 22, 2022
Al Thani, who served as Qatar’s Foreign Minister and later as Prime Minister, said that several months before his death, Arafat took part in a meeting in Doha, which included a number of Palestinian Authority and Israeli officials. The meeting, hosted by Al Thani himself, was aimed at helping Arafat leave as he was placed under an Israeli siege in his Ramallah, West Bank, headquarters.
However, according to Al Thani, soon after the meeting, both parties notified Qatar that talks were not necessary anymore. A few months later, the news of Arafat’s illness was communicated.
Ex-Qatar PM: #Arafat was killed by someone close to him
READ: https://t.co/5vpM5pWnWg pic.twitter.com/vbL6cXSGh6
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) February 21, 2022
Yasser Arafat, who was the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and subsequently the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), died unexpectedly in November 2004, at the age of 75. The cause of death remains unknown, despite various claims that he was poisoned by Israel.
(Palestine Chronicle Staff)
