Israel Responsible for Faking Aussie Passports, Diplomat Expelled
May 24th, 2010Via: Sydney Morning Herald:
Australia’s relations with Israel have hit a new low, with the Rudd Government expelling an Israeli diplomat over the fake passports affair.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, told Parliament today that inquiries by Australian intelligence agencies into the use of fake Australian passports in Dubai had concluded the fakes were the work of a state intelligence agency.
Mr Smith said this led to the conclusion there was no doubt Israel was responsible.
“No government can tolerate the abuse of its passports, especially by a foreign government,” he said. “This represents a clear affront to the security of our passport system.”
The scandal over the use of fake passports erupted internationally after the January murder of a Hamas operative.
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, one of Hamas’s top arms dealers, was found dead in his hotel room on January 20.
Dubai police identified 27 people involved in the assassination, 12 of whom travelled on forged British passports.
Four of the suspects travelled on Australian passports in the names of four dual Australian-Israeli citizens.
Mr Smith said that intelligence sharing with Mossad would also be cut as the fake passports affair drags relations between the two countries to a new low.
Ooof!