Israeli Health Ministry: No Evidence Palestinian Detainee Was Tortured

Israel’s Health Ministry has issued a report today on the death of detainee Arafat Jaradat, who died on Saturday in what prison officials initially ruled a “heart attack.” The Health Ministry says that there is no evidence of poisoning, nor torture of the detainee ahead of his death.

Jaradat was arrested on suspicion of throwing stones at a protest against the treatment of detainees. He died shortly after signing a “confession,” and Palestinian medical examiners noted he had six broken bones, deep wounds along his spine, and other bruises across his body, determining he died of torture.

The Health Ministry insists that all the broken bones and the deep wounds on his body are the result of routine attempts by Israeli forces to revive him, and seemed to treat the case as closed, though further data is expected to be released in the weeks to come.

Perhaps the most bizarre part of the statement is not the denial of torture, but that the Health Ministry said they also ruled out heart failure, and at present have no clue what caused Jaradat’s death.