Fatah blames Israel for Arafat's death

JERUSALEM, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The Fatah General Assembly blamed Israel for the death of Yasser Arafat and called for a probe of the demise of the former Palestinian Authority chairman.

In October 2004, Arafat was flown to a military hospital in France, where he was hospitalized until his death on November 12, 2004.

The Fatah assembly also called for an international inquiry into the late Palestinian leader's death, Israeli and Palestinian media reports said Thursday.

More than 2,000 delegates from the West Bank, Gaza and Arab countries abroad attended a three-day conference in Bethlehem aimed at choosing a new Fatah leadership and revamping the movement's agenda.

Former Arafat aide Bassam Abu-Sharif who raised Thursday's proposal, told reporters former French President Jacques Chirac was aware of the circumstances which led to Arafat's death, Maariv said.

Abu-Sharif said he would willingly supply any information and documentation to the commission once the inquiry begins, the newspaper said.

Secrecy surrounding the former Palestinian leader's death nearly five years ago generated a number of rumors that suggested he had been poisoned. Last month, Fatah leader Farouq Kaddoumi accused Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan of conspiring to kill Arafat.