scrambling for cover during the farewell ceremony for the French delegation yesterday at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
Israeli authorities were too quick yesterday to declare that the IDF soldier committed suicide in the middle of the farewell ceremony in honor of the French President before any investigation of the incident . This suspicions behavior by the Israeli authorities led many analysts to conclude that Israel was trying to cover up something ..in this case an assassination attempt or an accident
The name of the soldier killed was Raid Asaad Raid Ghanan and judging from the way he was described by his folks , there was no reason for him to commit suicide. Read on...
According to the Times the family of Ghanan refuted the claims today that he committed suicide.
Ghanan, 32, of the northern Druze village of Beit Jan, could not have killed himself said a family member to the local press.
"We scornfully reject the claims that our son took his own life. He was a kindhearted and happy person. He had a family and there was no reason for him to do such a horrible thing."
The officer's father, Asaad Ghanan, said he had last seen his son in good spirits. "He had a family, he had friends, he had plans for the future and had no reason to commit suicide."
It took police representatives several hours to reach the family, who live in a remote village in Israel's north. Naif Ghanan, the officer's brother, said that officials who came to inform the family of the death said that the circumstances of the incident were still being investigated.
"It is unthinkable and my brother had no reason to take his own life. We believe this was an accident, or he was unwittingly killed by another Israeli guard or a security official in the area."
Mr Ghanan's mother, Hanna, was killed in an accident several years ago. He was survived by his father, wife, two children, three brothers and five sisters.
The family hired a lawyer to ensure there is a "complete and detailed" investigation and to gain access to security video footage from the airport.
Investigation
The shot was fired just as Olmert kissed the French first lady on the cheeks and President Shimon Peres bid farewell to his counterpart.
The first lady, a model-turned-singer clad in a black pantsuit, rushed up the steps of the plane's gangway escorted by a bodyguard.
The French president kept his composure, calmly walking up the steps and briefly raising his hand in a farewell gesture to his hosts.
According to the investigation by the government Mr Ghanan was securing the outer perimeter of the area, positioned on a roof approximately 200 meters away from the VIP delegation. Police officials claim that the initial investigation revealed that he shot himself, and then fell from the roof to the ground below. Mickey Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said that it was in no way an assassination attempt.
This rush to conclusion by the Israeli authorities raises many questions, specially since people of the Druze faith rarely commit suicide... their religion strictly forbids it, and it does not appear that Mr Ghanan fitted the profile of someone who is desperate enough to take his own life
Will this be an Israeli Watergate ?
If the Israeli media is truly free then it has a profound responsibility to dig deeper into this incident to find out the real truth .
Perhaps the Media should insist on an independent investigation , because we all know that government officials will not hesitate lie to cover up an embarrassing situation of this sort
Update : Here are some comments about the incident that support the theory of a cover up
Don from the UK commented
"There is strong smell of cover-up about this story. I believe someone intended to have a pop at Sarkozy and the Israeli's are past masters at lies and subterfuge."
Erik from USA commented
"Sounds very suspicious to me, and this is also a topic on talk radio here in the U.S. today. A policeman killing himself during a farewell ceremony? From a high vantage point no less.....something isn't adding up."
Tim from Canada commented
"Committed suicide. Yeah, sure. Don't dare suggest Israel share Jerusalem or someone will come gunning for you.
Hopefully this will be a real wake-up call for France and other Western countries as to the willingness of radical Israelis for a fair peace."
Note: Sarkozy did urge Israel to share Jerusalem and stop the settlements in his speech at the Knesset last Monday