by Barry Chamish

[We deliberately refrained from voicing our suspicions about the suicide. Barry’s arguments make sense. Suicide is uncommon among Arabs (the dead officer was a Druze) and in the tough Border Police.]

Call it an update. Twelve hours ago, a shot rang out near the goodbye ceremony for French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Ben Gurion Airport.
The band had just started up its loud farewell repertoire. At the moment Sarkozy, President Peres and Prime Minister Olmert clasped hands in unity for the cameras, a shot was heard. If anyone thought this was an assassination, security went out the window. Instead of jumping on their leaders, security rushed them to their cars and plane. Sarkozy was a wide-open target as he climbed to his plane.
But then the truth was learned. At the moment that the band began and the leaders shook hands for the cameras, a clever longtime soldier assigned to an elite Border Guard unit, thought, great time to kill myself. And just when he was in perfect position; 100 yards from the ceremony with a 400 yard range rifle, on a roof, with the politicians in his sites! Darn.
Plus, he didn’t just choose the right moment to die noticed, his dying post was perfect. If he shot himself from a roof, maybe he could arrange for his body to fall off the roof, too. And best of all for the full drama, he decided to kill himself in front of his, “guarding partner,” and two women soldiers who fainted and were taken to the hospital. Now, we have seen Israeli woman soldiers after countless ghastly, hideous terror acts, where their sense of duty prevents open shows of revulsion. They don’t faint. But today, TWO female soldiers fainted at the same moment and required hospital treatment, which would include terrifying scenarios of what would happen if they opened their mouths.
You see, the entire media was removed from the airport as soon as the shot was fired. No pesky “Kempler” films, which revealed the Shin Bet’s role in the Rabin murder, would suddenly appear, exposing the murderers, maybe this time for good. The eye-witnesses just needed coaching under duress.
Now if I was investigating this latest incident, suspect number one would be the victim’s partner. However, I know from my Rabin expose, the coverup has already begun in earnest. All relevant physical and ballistic evidence will be rigged to suit the crime and the eye-witnesses will become quiet, like the Rabin family.
I admit, this is early in the game, but still, from what you know about suicide, would anyone really kill himself on the job, without a note? Would he really wait for them to strike up the band to cover his shot? Some attention seeker. He shoots himself just as Peres, Olmert and Sarkozy are hand-hugging, but makes sure the band covers up the act.
There is nothing conclusive here. Just the proper balance of suspicion and intelligence so you take the official explanations with a hugely delicious special double grain of salt. You can bet on one thing though; Sarkozy will the last world President to visit Israel in a long while.

Officer’s family: He didn’t commit suicide
The dead Border Guard officer was identified as Raid Asaad Ghanan, 32, of the Druze village of Beit Jan. his family members refused to believe that he had committed suicide.
“We scornfully reject the claims that our son took his own life,” a family member said. “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 that his son had left the house on Tuesday morning in good spirits.
“He had a family, he had friends, he had plans for the future and had no reason to commit suicide,” the father said.
Naif, Raid’s brother, said that the police representatives who informed the family of their son’s death, had told them that the circumstances of the incidents were unclear and would be probed by an investigating officer.
“It is unthinkable that my brother took his own life. We believe this was an accident, or even an incident in which my brother was accidentally shot by one of the security officials in the area.”