'No evidence Jaradat was victim of violence'

Health Ministry intermediate autopsy report finds Jaradat was not poisoned nor did he suffer physical violence.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Arafat Jaradat 370 (photo credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters)
Arafat Jaradat 370
(photo credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters)
There was no evidence of poisoning or physical violence against Arafat Jaradat, the Palestinian prisoner who was found dead in his Megiddo Prison cell last week, according to an intermediate autopsy report released by the Health Ministry on Thursday.
According to the report, the fractures in the ribs and hemorrhages on the skin were typical of the condition of people who undergo intensive resuscitation in an attempt to save their lives. The resuscitation was performed for 50 minutes by prison physicians and Magen David Adom paramedics.
The ministry concluded that the forensic institute will continue to conduct tests to identify the cause of Jaradat’s death.
The Health Ministry said that the examination was performed by senior pathologist Prof. Yehuda Hiss of the L. Greenberg Forensic Institute. Head of the ministry’s medical branch Prof. Arnon Afek, Palestinian pathologist Dr. Sabar Alul and head of the pathology institute at Sheba Medical Center Prof. Iris Barshack observed the examination.
In addition to the Health Ministry's investigation, the police were investigating the death and a judge has ordered an inquest, as is the case in all instances of prison deaths.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for an international inquiry into Jaradat's death, saying he was "assassinated" and accusing the Shin Bet of torturing the Palestinian detainee during interrogation.
Israeli officials dismissed the Palestinian Authority's demand for an international inquiry as a “predictable” maneuver and part of a larger strategy to bring the international community into the conflict whenever possible.
On Monday, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said that Israel would be happy to have an international professional look at how it was investigating the incident. The officials also noted that UN Undersecretary- General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman called for an “independent and transparent” investigation, but said nothing about an international inquiry.
Jaradat's death sparked violent protests in the West Bank. Two soldiers and 11 Palestinians were injured in riots that started after Jaradat's funeral.
Herb Keinon, Khaled Abu Toameh and JPost.com staff contributed to this report.