Are Jews still poisoning wells? This prevalent anti-Jewish allegation from the Dark Ages took a modern form on Wednesday. The accuser is an Egyptian Professor of Micro-Genetic Engineering, Professor Wagdi ‘Abd Al-Fatah Sawahil. Sawahil gave the lecture at the Zayed Center for Coordination and Follow-up in Abu Dhabi, a center supported by the Arab League.
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Wagdi ‘Abd Al-Fatah Sawahil
“Israel not only uses chemical drugs as means for getting information from Palestinian prisoners and detainees, but it also intends to use the Palestinians as guinea pigs,” said Dr. Sawahil during his lecture. “The Israelis are designing and producing new types of diseases, viruses, bacteria and some genetically modified substances, which specifically attack body cells that contain a Palestinian hereditary substance.”
“Nonsense,” says Adam Friedman, a Professor from the Genetics Department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to The Media Line. “It’s impossible to specifically target genes from a particular ethnic group. Furthermore, the Palestinians don’t have a pool of distinctive genes. Note also that Palestinians – and Arabs in general – have genes very similar to those of Jews. It is worth checking where this so-called scientist studied and the source of his professional knowledge.”
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“This isn’t the first time that the Egyptians have accused Israel of a series of scientific ‘developments’ targeted at Egypt,” says Dr. Rivka Yadlin, a researcher at the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University. “Israel was accused of exporting poisonous plants during the nineties; it was accused of standing behind rat epidemics, as well as developing aphrodisiac chewing gum meant to lure virgins. Developing an anti-Palestinian virus is just as ludicrous as these allegations.”
In his lecture, Prof. Sawahil also attacked the U.S. and Britain. “One of the objectives of the Anglo-American war on Iraq was to eliminate Iraqi scholars, experts and scientists,” he said. “The object of this is to implement the Israeli plan to eliminate all Arab atom scientists… and to intimidate Arab intellectuals to stay clear of fields of research which Washington regards as prohibited… because they pose a threat to the Israeli entity.”
The Professor doesn’t mention Israel specifically, instead calling it “the Israeli entity.” This is a reincarnation of the term “Zionist entity” used by Arab states for many years after Israel was established, aimed to show they do not recognize Israel. Various Islamic organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad still use this term at times.
“The war on Iraq caused not only dead and wounded but also the destruction of infrastructure and archaeological sites” continued Professor Sawahil. He claims that the war also caused “medical and environmental hazards as a result of the occupying forces using a dreadful amount of weapons with vast power of death and destruction, including depleted Uranium, prohibited by international [agreements].”
“The future of the Arab nation depends on the development of science…and Arab businessmen and investors should take on the task of developing science by financially supporting research institutes… Moreover, there is a vital need for Arab scientists living outside [of the Arab states] and within the Arab nation to exchange knowledge and experience,” Sawahil concluded.
The Media Line asked for the response of the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet) on the subject. When asked if the GSS is indeed developing biological substances made to break the resistance of Palestinian prisoners, the unsurprising response was “No.”
Note: The Zayed Center was established in 1999 in Abu Dhabi and is managed by Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. The center claims its aims are “To promote Arab solidarity and to resolve a strategic and unified Arab stand in the fields of politics, economics, society and culture.” The center holds exhibitions and conferences and publishes books on various topics.