14 November 2016•Update: 15 November 2016
By Ola Atallah
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Palestinian political factions on Sunday called for the launch of an international investigation aimed at finding those responsible for the death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died under mysterious circumstances in 2004.
In a statement issued by the National and Islamic Forces Committee, Palestinian factions stressed the need to uncover and expose those who they believe had "murdered" Arafat 12 years ago.
The joint committee includes representatives of Palestinian resistance groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, along with a handful of smaller factions.
Factions stressed the need to bring the perpetrators before the International Criminal Court, while at the same time holding Israel ultimately responsible for his death.
Last Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he knew who was responsible for Arafat’s death, stressing that the perpetrator would soon be exposed.
Speaking in Ramallah to mark the 12th anniversary of the Palestinian leader’s demise, Abbas asserted that the investigation into Arafat’s unsolved death remained "ongoing".
On Nov. 11, 2004, Arafat died in France -- under highly suspicious circumstances -- at the age of 75. Until now, doctors have been unable to determine the exact cause of his death.
