A top aide to former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon said on Thursday the premier had ordered that no harm be done to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The comments came after Swiss scientists concluded Arafat had probably died from polonium poisoning, prompting Palestinian officials to call for an international inquiry into his "killing".
"Ariel Sharon insisted that everything be done to ensure that Arafat, who was at the time living inside his besieged Muqataa compound, was not killed by our soldiers," Raanan Gissin told AFP, in reference to a 2002-2004 Israeli siege of the president's Ramallah headquarters.
"His instructions were to take every precaution to avoid Israel being accused of Arafat's death," said Gissin, who served as Sharon's spokesman.
"Instead of launching baseless accusations against Israel, the Palestinians would be better to question those in Arafat's entourage who had an interest in his death and above all getting their hands on the money he controlled," he said.
The comments came after Swiss scientists concluded Arafat had probably died from polonium poisoning, prompting Palestinian officials to call for an international inquiry into his "killing".
"Ariel Sharon insisted that everything be done to ensure that Arafat, who was at the time living inside his besieged Muqataa compound, was not killed by our soldiers," Raanan Gissin told AFP, in reference to a 2002-2004 Israeli siege of the president's Ramallah headquarters.
"His instructions were to take every precaution to avoid Israel being accused of Arafat's death," said Gissin, who served as Sharon's spokesman.
"Instead of launching baseless accusations against Israel, the Palestinians would be better to question those in Arafat's entourage who had an interest in his death and above all getting their hands on the money he controlled," he said.
