GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said that the Australian expulsion of an Israeli diplomat from his embassy in Canberra was an additional proof that Israel was involved in the assassination crime of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai.
Abu Zuhri told the PIC on Monday that the Australian step was not enough and that it should prosecute the killers of Mabhouh.
The spokesman said that the step also indicated that countries around the world were realizing the danger of the "Zionist entity" on the world security and that it was directly responsible for that crime.
The Australian foreign ministry ordered the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat over his government's use of forged Australian passports in Mabhouh's murder.
It said in a statement on Monday that the step would materialize within a week, adding that investigations proved Israel's involvement in the forgery of Australian passports.
Britain took a similar step two months ago and expelled an Israeli diplomat after evidence showed Israel's involvement in forging British passports and using them in the assassination crime.
May 25, 2010
Haaretz Australia expels Israeli diplomat over Dubai passport row; FM Stephen Smith: Probe leaves ‘no doubt’ Israel is behind misuse of Australian passports linked to assassination of Hamas operative Mabhouh.
The Israeli ambassador to Australia Yuval Rotem, who has been in Israel on business for the last few days, cut his stay short and left for Canberra in alarm on Monday, in hopes of pacifying the escalated crisis between Israel and Australia.Israeli-Australian relations tensed following the announcement by Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith that Australia has expelled Israel’s Mossad representative in the Israeli embassy in Canberra.
Smith said that Australia has asked Israel to withdraw a diplomat after an investigation found “no doubt” of its role in forging four Australian passports implicated in the slaying of a Hamas operative in Dubai earlier this year.
According to officials in Jerusalem, Rotem was supposed to spend two weeks in Israel and only return to Australia on June 8, though following deliberations in the Foreign Ministry on Monday morning, it was decided that Rotem must return to Australia straight away.
Britain took similar action in March, also expelling the Mossad attache to the Israeli embassy in the country, after concluding there was compelling evidence that Israel was responsible for the use of doctored British passports in the plot to kill Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh on January 20.
Australia’s foreign minister said Mondat a police investigation had left no doubt Israeli intelligence services had been behind the forgery of four Australian passports used by suspects in the assassination Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room.
“These investigations and advice have left the government in no doubt that Israel was responsible for the abuse and counterfeiting of these passports,” Smith told Australia’s parliament. “These are not the actions of a friend.”
The Australian government ordered an inquiry into the fake passports by police and intelligence services that visited Israel and found the four citizens involved had been innocent of any involvement.
“No government can tolerate the abuse of its passports, especially by a foreign government,” Smith said. “This is not what we expect from a nation with whom we have had such a close, friendly and supportive relationship.”
The government, he said, had asked that a member of Israel’s Australian embassy in Canberra be withdrawn within a week. Australia and Israel are traditionally close allies and an embassy spokesman said he “regretted” the decision.
“We feel it is not reflective of the extensive relationship between the two nations,” the spokesman said.
Dubai authorities have given names of alleged members of the team that tracked and killed the Palestinian, and said they used fraudulent British, Irish, French, German and Australian passports to enter and leave Dubai.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in February, however, there was no evidence to link Israel to the killing, which also prompted Britain to expel an Israeli in March.
But Britain’s then-government said an investigation by the country’s Serious Organised Crime Agency had found 12 forged British passports were used in the hit, copied from genuine passports.
Four Australians – Nicole McCabe, Joshua Bruce, Adam Korman and Joshua Krycer — had their identities stolen and used in fake passports held by suspects believed to be involved in the assassination, Smith said.
Mabhouh, born in the Gaza Strip, had lived in Syria since 1989 and Israeli and Palestinian sources have said he played a key role in smuggling Iranian-funded arms to militants in Gaza.
Smith said the passport cloning operation used in his killing was of high quality and had obviously been state-backed.
“The decision was made much more in sorrow than in anger,” he said. “The decision was made in our national security interests, made in support of the integrity of our passport system, made in efforts to protect Australians who travel overseas.”
Authorities in Dubai had already been briefed on Australia’s findings, he said, along with the other countries involved and close Australian and Israeli ally the United States.
Australia Follows UK Path, Expels Israeli Diplomat over Dubai Passport Row
24/05/2010 Once again the Mossad’s forging of European passports in the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai comes to light and the investigations’ outcome of the concerned countries confirms the Mossad’s involvement in that operation.
Following Britain’s path, Australia's government said on Monday it had ordered the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat over the use of the fake passports in the assassination of top Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on January 20.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Australia has asked Israel to withdraw a diplomat after an investigation found the country responsible for forging four Australian passports implicated in al-Mabhouh assassination.
Israeli daily Haaretz had reported that the expelled official was in fact the Mossad representative in the Israeli embassy in Canberra.
Smith said on Monday that a police investigation had left no doubt Israeli intelligence services had been behind the forgery of four Australian passports used by suspects in the killing of al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room.
"These investigations and advice have left the government in no doubt that Israel was responsible for the abuse and counterfeiting of these passports," Smith told Australia's parliament. "These are not the actions of a friend."
The Australian government ordered an inquiry into the fake passports by police and intelligence services, who visited the Zionist entity and found the four citizens involved had been innocent of any wrongdoing.
Smith said this was not the first time that Israel had misused Australian passports, but he declined to comment on the other occasions. "No government can tolerate the abuse of its passports, especially by a foreign government," Smith said. "This is not what we expect from a nation with whom we have had such a close, friendly and supportive relationship."
He said the government had asked that a member of Israel's Australian embassy in Canberra be withdrawn within a week.
At a later press conference, Smith said he was would not identify the person asked to withdraw. But he said: "Our response on any measure is comparable to the British response."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed disappointment. "We are sorry for the Australian step, which is not in line with the nature and importance of the relationship," between the two nations, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmore.
Britain took similar action in March, also kicking out the Mossad attache to the Israeli embassy in the country over the "intolerable" use of fake British passports also used in the killing.
Foreign Minister David Miliband said then that Israel's actions had put British nationals at risk and showed a "profound disregard" for Britain's sovereignty. He said the fact that Israel is a longtime ally with close business, personal and political ties to Britain "adds insult to injury" in this case.
Britain now seeks assurances that Israel will not be party to the misuse of passports in the future, Miliband said. He noted that he handed over a letter to Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, seeking an official guarantee that Israel will never again misuse UK passports.
Israel's Mossad has been widely blamed for the assassination of the Hamas chief but Israel maintains there is no proof for this claim.
Suspects in the killing used the identities of 12 people from Britain, as well as people from France, Germany and Ireland along with the four Australian identities, Dubai police have said.
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