Footage of Wednesday's protest near the village of Turmus Ayya lends support to the theory that Palestinian Authority official Ziad Abu Ein died and was not killed. The man, who unofficially held the position of settlements minister, was not hit by shots or any other object, and the way the border policeman extended his arm during the clash was not violent or unusual. Any police officer would do the exact same thing at any violent protest anywhere in the world. It makes sense that if he suffered from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, was overweight or had any other serious physical issue, he might have a heart attack during especially strenuous activity. The footage of his final moments does not show him in distress, suffering, having trouble breathing or experiencing any other symptoms that should have been a red flag for the security forces. It is sad that he died. And Israel expressed regret, but rightly did not accept any responsibility for his death. The joint message from Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai and his Palestinian counterpart Hussein A-Sheikh on behalf of the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian Authority promises a fair investigation from pathologists on both sides, but that will not do anything to cleanse the tainted atmosphere. The last time this happened, the Palestinian pathologist came to the same conclusion as the Israelis and then he ran away. Abu Ein's death may reignite the wave of riots which slowed down this weekend. "We will only know the true significance of this incident on Friday afternoon, when prayers on the Temple Mount end," said a senior security officer. We can only wait. This tragic death is no reason to end security cooperation between Israel and the PA. If Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas thinks that it is worth sparking tensions ahead of the discussion at the U.N., then the death will be a convenient excuse, not a true reason. He also knows that Abu Ein did not die as a result of violence from border policemen who were doing their jobs and using appropriate restraint. The problem is Abbas' interests. If, four days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meet in Rome and shortly before the Palestinian issue is discussed at the U.N., he wants to escalate the violence -- then he will use the Abu Ein incident. But he knows better than any Mideast expert that if he disconnects from Israel, he will be left without the flak jacket that the IDF provides for him against Hamas, the Islamic State group and a host of other evils.
