A French court has opened a murder inquiry into the 2004 death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, following claims by his widow Suha and a TV investigation that he may have been poisoned, Agence France Press reported.
There have long been rumors in the Arab world that Arafat was poisoned, and a Swiss lab's recent finding of elevated levels of a rare and highly lethal radioactive substance on Arafat's clothing has fed those claims.
However, the Institute of Radiation Physics said its findings were inconclusive and that only exhuming Arafat's remains could bring possible clarity.
Testing Arafat's bones for polonium-210 - the substance found on his clothes - could offer the last chance to get to the bottom of Palestinian claims that their leader was poisoned, though some experts say it may already be too late for conclusive answers.
Scientists caution that polonium decays quickly and that an autopsy needs to be done right away.
Arafat died in a French military hospital in 2004 of what doctors have said was a massive stroke a month after being airlifted - when his health collapsed - from his headquarters in Ramallah.
The findings were first broadcast by Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera, which approached the lab on behalf of Arafat's widow, Suha. She provided the lab with his clothing and other belongings.
When the results were released, Suha Arafat filed a complaint in French court asking for a murder investigation.
Yigal Palmor, spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry said: "This does not pertain to us. The complaint lodged by Suha Arafat with the French police does not address Israel or anyone in particular. If the French justice system has decided to open an investigation, we hope that it will shed light on this matter."

EJP