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Israel says Palestinian died of heart ‘blockage’ Dispute emerges over cause of prominent Palestinian official Ziad Abu Ein’s death
(about 7 hours later)
RAMALLAH, West Bank—Israel’s health ministry said Thursday that a prominent Palestinian cabinet member died from a heart blockage during a confrontation with Israeli forces in the West Bank, challenging claims that the death was caused by a blow from soldiers. RAMALLAH, West Bank — What happens next on the streets of East Jerusalem and the West Bank may rest on one question: What killed a prominent Palestinian cabinet minister during a clash Wednesday with Israeli soldiers?
An autopsy — conducted Wednesday hours after the death of Ziad Abu Ein — showed he suffered from a “blockage of the coronary artery,” one of the main blood supplies to the heart, the ministry said. The already tattered relationship between the Israeli government and the Palestinians can, in fact, get much worse. The death of Ziad Abu Ein — a senior leader, a former prisoner, popular on the streets and known to young people — led the Palestinians to threaten again to curtail security coordination in the West Bank between Palestinian forces and the Israeli military. Israel fears such a move would unleash chaos for all.
Related bleeding from the artery “could have been caused by stress,” said the statement after the late-night autopsy attended by Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian pathologists. As the flag-draped coffin carrying Abu Ein was carried from the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah in a massive funerary procession Thursday, Israeli and Palestinian authorities tussled over the precise cause of death. At issue was whether the chain-smoking, hard-driving Abu Ein died of cardiac arrest brought on by the stress of confrontation with Israeli troops — or had been killed by a blow struck by an Israeli soldier and a choking blast of tear gas.
But the Palestinian doctor involved in the autopsy told the Associated Press that the 55-year-old Abu Ein died as a result of a blow to his body, not of natural causes. It was the latest example of a long-standing theme whereby the two sides rarely agree on the same set of facts.
And a top Palestinian official, Hussein al-Sheikh, told the Reuters news agency that Jordanian and Palestinian doctors involved in the examination said he had died from “being struck, inhaling tear gas and a delay in providing medical attention.” Palestinian Civil Affairs Minister Hussein Al Sheikh told Voice of Palestine radio that a late-night autopsy found that Abu Ein died from “being struck, inhaling tear gas and a delay in providing medical attention.” At an emergency meeting Wednesday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas waved a photograph of Abu Ein being choked by an Israeli soldier.
Any disagreement over the cause of death could become a rallying point for further Palestinian protests and political fallout linked to Abu Ein, who directed the agency tasks with opposing Israeli settlements and the barrier separating Israel and the West Bank. Israel’s health ministry, however, announced Thursday that the same autopsy showed Abu Ein’s death was “caused by a blockage of the coronary artery due to hemorrhaging underneath a layer of atherosclerotic plaque.” The forensic report concluded, “The poor condition of the deceased's heart caused him to be more sensitive to stress.”
Tensions are already heightened after months of Palestinian terrorist attacks, a 50-day war in the Gaza Strip and recent clashes over a contested holy site in Jerusalem. The autopsy was attended by Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian pathologists in an attempt to avoid this very fight.
The death sparked outrage from the Palestinian leadership and an appeal by a U.N. envoy for a full Israeli probe. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced three days of mourning and halted security coordination with Israel. Saber Aloul, the Palestinian pathologist who attended the autopsy, told The Associated Press the “cause of death was a blow, and not natural causes.”
The autopsy found there were signs of internal bleeding and some pressure on the neck. The report further noted the poor state of Abu Ein’s health, especially his heart, which it said “made him more sensitive to stress.” Chen Kugel, chief of the Israeli National Institute for Forensic Medicine, told reporters there was no real difference in the versions — that a stressful event led to a heart attack.
There were signs that he had previously suffered heart attacks, it said, adding that the findings were preliminary and required validation from laboratory results and previous health records. The Israeli news Web site Ynet quoted Kugel, who took part in the autopsy, as saying that the disagreement with the Palestinians stemmed also from damage on the victim’s front teeth, tongue and windpipe, which could have been the result of resuscitation attempts or an attack.
The Israeli news Web site Ynet quoted Hen Kugal, the Israeli doctor who took part in the autopsy, as saying that the disagreement with the Palestinians stemmed from damage on the victim’s front teeth, tongue and windpipe, which could have been the result of resuscitation attempts or an attack. Speaking in Jerusalem, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said that the country “is committed to carry out a careful examination into the events which led up to Abu Ein’s death.” He added: “At this difficult time, both sides have the duty to be responsible and encourage calm.”
Speaking in Jerusalem, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin said that the country “is committed to carry out a careful examination into the events which led up to Abu Ein’s death.” The clash over the cause of death — and sensational videos taken at the scene that show an Israeli Border Patrol officer clutching Abu Ein by the throat — could quickly become a flash point for further Palestinian protests and political fallout.
He added: “At this difficult time, both sides have the duty to be responsible and encourage calm.” Tensions in the region are already heightened after months of Palestinian terrorist attacks, a 50-day war in the Gaza Strip and recent clashes over a contested holy site in Jerusalem.
Thousands of mourners, meanwhile, packed into the official government compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah to attend Abu Ein’s funeral Thursday, one of the largest crowds seen in many years for either a demonstration or a funeral. Abu Ein’s coffin was draped in a Palestinian national flag. Abu Ein, 55, was an immensely popular Palestinian government minister who directed the agency tasked with opposing Israeli settlements and the barrier separating Israel and the West Bank. Until recently, he served as a spokesman for Palestinians serving long sentences in Israeli prisons for terror attacks and political activities.
The ceremony was somber but dignified, attended by Palestinian political leaders and dignitaries. Thousands of mourners packed into the official government compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah to attend Abu Ein’s funeral.
Palestinian National Council member, Tayseer Naserallah, who spent time in an Israeli jail with Abu Ein and was a close friend, said that his death could represent a turning point in the rise of popular resistance among Palestinians. He also said it could mark a profound change in relations between Israel and Palestine. “Everyone knows Abu Ein,” said Yazmin Israyah, 19, a media student.
Palestinian witnesses said Abu Ein was punched and kicked by Israeli border officers, who fired tear gas at the demonstrators during a march in the West Bank to protest land seizures. With numerous observers on the scene, video clips quickly began to circulate on news and social media sites. She said she hoped his death would not just be another sad day for Palestinians, “but a spark.” Israyah said she would support whatever Abbas did — but if it were up to her, she would end all cooperation with the Israelis.
One of Abu Ein’s assistants, who was with him during the confrontation, said his boss was punched in the throat, kicked and became overwhelmed by tear gas. The ceremony was somber but dignified, attended by Palestinian political leaders and dignitaries, and Abu Ein’s coffin was escorted by an honor guard and bagpipes.
Family members suspect that Abu Ein suffered a heart attack after being assaulted during the clashes. Palestinian National Council member Tayseer Naserallah, who spent five years in an Israeli prison with Abu Ein and was a close friend, said that his death could represent a turning point in the rise of popular resistance among Palestinians.
The Israeli military said soldiers “had attempted to halt the progress of the rioters” toward a nearby Israeli outpost by “using riot dispersal means.” Later on, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a message to the Palestinian Authority saying that the Israeli government also would investigate the incident. He said, “We have wasted a lot of time trying to make peace with the Israelis.” It is time for a different way, Naserallah said.
An image posted by Sky News Arabia showed an Israeli soldier apparently grabbing the Palestinian politician by the throat. A video clip from Russia Today showed Abu Ein on the ground and clutching his chest behind a row of Israeli troops facing off against demonstrators near the West Bank village of Turmus Aya, where the march was held to protest Israeli land seizures. Khalid Tomazi, a top adviser in the Palestinian ministry for social affairs, also expressed frustration and said many Palestinians were now serious in their calls to dismantle the Palestinian Authority and hand over the full responsibility for governing the occupied territories to the Israelis.
Abu Ein was especially well known as a spokesman for Palestinians serving long sentences in Israeli prisons for terrorist attacks and political activities. “There is no value in an Israeli apology,” he said. “There is bloodshed every day.”
Mohammed Muhaisan, Abu Ein’s assistant, said the minister exchanged harsh words with a border police officer, who grabbed him by the throat. A few minutes later, Muhaisan said, Abu Ein was subjected to a “karate chop” in the neck and was “hit with a punch or a helmet to his chest.” Abu Ein was a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, also known as the Abu Nidal Organization, which carried out terror attacks against Israelis in the 1980s. He was given a life sentence in Israel in 1982 after being extradited from the United States over the killing of two Israelis in Tiberias in 1979. He was released in a prisoner swap in 1985.
The aide also said that a large quantity of tear gas was fired at the crowd, causing the minister to fall to the ground and turn rigid. Abu Ein spent a year in detention in 2002 without being charged when he was a leader of the second Palestinian uprising, or intifada, in which thousands of Israelis and Palestinians died and Palestinian suicide bombings against civilian targets were commonplace.
Muhaisan said Abu Ein was quickly taken by ambulance to a local clinic and then to a hospital in central Ramallah. The minister was unresponsive and could not be revived, Muhaisan said. Eglash reported from Jerusalem. Sufian Taha in Ramallah contributed to this report.
The U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Robert H. Serry, said he was deeply saddened by the minister’s death and urged Israeli authorities to conduct a “prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstance of his death.”
Ala’a Abu Ein, Abu Ein’s brother, described him as one of the leaders of the second intifada, or popular uprising, a decade ago, which included suicide bombings inside Israeli territory and a harsh Israeli military crackdown on Palestinians.
The brother suggested that the Israelis had intended to seek out and assault Abu Ein at the demonstration.
Israeli reports said Abu Ein was a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, which is also known as the Abu Nidal Organization and carried out terror attacks in the 1980s.
Abu Ein was given a life sentence in Israel in 1982 after being extradited from the United States over the killing of two Israelis in Tiberias in 1979. He was released in a prisoner swap in 1985.
During the second Palestinian uprising, he spent a year in detention in 2002 without being charged, the Associated Press reported.
Eglash reported from Jerusalem and Deane from London.