NEWS - Britain expels Israeli diplomat over Dubai passport row

The UK is to expel an Israeli diplomat over 12 forged British passports used in the killing of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in January.
David Miliband said there were "compelling reasons" to believe Israel was responsible for the forgeries.

The foreign secretary said the misuse of British passports was "intolerable".
Israel's ambassador to London, Ron Prosor, said he was "disappointed", but Israel confirmed there would be no tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsion.
Mr Prosor said: "The relationship between Israel and the UK is of mutual importance, hence we are disappointed by the... decision."
The name of the diplomat has not been released.
Israel has previously said there is no proof it was behind the killing at a Dubai hotel.

'High-quality forgeries'

The foreign secretary said officers from Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) had investigated the matter of the passports.
It had concluded the passports used were copied from genuine British passports when handed over for inspection to individuals linked to Israel, either in Israel or in other countries, he said.

"Given that this was a very sophisticated operation, in which high-quality forgeries were made, the government judges it is highly likely that the forgeries were made by a state intelligence service," he said.

"We have concluded that there are compelling reasons to believe Israel was responsible for the misuse of the British passports."
The incident "represents a profound disregard for the sovereignty of the United Kingdom" he said.

He said the fact that Israel was a friend added "insult to injury".

The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen said the expulsion sent a "very clear message" of British disapproval.

"It is a very big step for a government like the British to expel one of the diplomats belonging to one of its important allies," he said.
It is believed 12 fake British passports were used in the plot to murder Mr Mabhouh - the founder of Hamas's military wing - in his hotel room in Dubai on 19 January.

The names and details on the UK passports used by eight of the 12 suspects belonged to British-Israeli citizens living in Israel - all of whom have denied involvement in Mr Mabhouh's murder.
Their passports had been copied and new photographs inserted.
Mr Miliband said there was no evidence to suggest that any of the 12 passport holders were anything other than "wholly innocent victims of identity theft".
He said he was amending the official travel advice to Israel to make British nationals aware of the risks of their passports being misused.
He said he had met Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman in Brussels on Monday and had made clear the UK's "determination to see that this affair should never be repeated".

He handed him a letter "seeking a formal assurance... that in the future the State of Israel would never be party to the misuse of British passports in such a way".

It is not the first time British passports have been misused by Israel. In 1987 the country was caught forging UK passports for an intelligence operation, and Israel promised it would not do it again.

On that occasion, eight British passports reckoned to be for Mossad agents were found in a bag in a West German telephone booth.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Hamas group said it welcomed the decision to expel the diplomat, but wanted international efforts to track down the killers stepped up.

Dubai police have used CCTV footage to identify 27 alleged members of the team that tracked and killed Mr Mabhouh.
Passports from France, Ireland, Germany and Australia were also forged in the operation, and they too are investigating Israel's role.
Dubai officials said they were "99% certain" that agents from Mossad were behind the killing.

Following his death, Mr Mabhouh's family said doctors who had examined him determined he had died after receiving a massive electric shock to the head. They also found evidence that he had been strangled.



[edit on 24-3-2010 by solid007]

[edit on 24-3-2010 by solid007]

Elections soon in the UK

The extent of Zionist infiltration has reached even the Sheepies' jaded ears

So we have this cynically insincere attempt to molify the voters, who're supposed to believe and be impressed by, the 'expulsion'

LOL

Not even Sheepies are fooled


The ONLY way to even begin regaining some voter-trust would be to completely cut off any form of aid to Israel

and that would be only the beginning

Pretending to toss out one diplomat is an insult --- to the voting public

Originally posted by Dock9
Elections soon in the UK

The extent of Zionist infiltration has reached even the Sheepies' jaded ears

So we have this cynically insincere attempt to molify the voters, who're supposed to believe and be impressed by, the 'expulsion'

LOL

Not even Sheepies are fooled


The ONLY way to even begin regaining some voter-trust would be to completely cut off any form of aid to Israel

and that would be only the beginning

Pretending to toss out one diplomat is an insult --- to the voting public

true say

This all just raises more and more questions:

- Who is the diplomat that was expelled? Was any diplomat even expelled?? They could say they're doing this and just not bother. We'd never know unless they tell us who.

- Why can't the SOCA report be released?

- Is this just a ploy to sell the benefits of biometric passports?

- On one hand Israel assures us that in the future, British passports will never be misused in this way again. This is an admission of guilt. On the other hand the UK gov updates travel advice on Israel to say that there is a potential risk of Identiity theft in travelling there. Oh, the hypocrasy!

Is the Foreign Secretary aware that there was a similar case in 1987, when it was discovered that Israel had forged British passports for intelligence operations? On that occasion, the then Israeli Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, assured the then Foreign Secretary, my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Howe of Aberavon, that it would not happen again. It seems that those assurances have not been upheld.

So they've lied in the past, did it again anyway. There's no assurance it won't happen again! Chucking out some un-named diplomat that might not even exist isn't enough!

You can check out the full parliamentary discussion at They Work For You

Ah! Bingo! Yeah this is definitely all about ID cards!!!

Edward Garnier (Shadow Attorney General, Justice; Harborough, Conservative)

The point that my right hon. and learned Friend Mr. Hogg made is just as important even if one is not dealing with an alleged killing. The courts of England send people with no previous convictions to prison for passport forgery and their sentences are measured in years. What does this story tell us about the integrity of the Government's proposals for identity cards? Does it not undermine the Government's case?

David Miliband (Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; South Shields, Labour)

I am delighted that the hon. and learned Gentleman has raised that point, because it makes a very strong case precisely for the national identity register that we propose. I think that many people, if they can be diverted from the issue at hand for a moment, will see that the determination to have a national identity register precisely fits into the sort of concerns that people have about identity theft. Actually, the case is made for the proposal that the Government have put forward, and I hope that the hon. and learned Gentleman will reconsider his opposition to it.

Balls to that!