Israel responsible for faking Aussie passports, diplomat expelled

[Cees Binkhorst]

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Israel responsible for faking Aussie passports, diplomat expelled: Smith
TIM LESTER
May 24, 2010 - 1:41PM

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.

Stephen Smith ... said it was not the first time Israel had faked
Australian passports.

"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.

Speaking after his statement to Parliament, Mr Smith said the fakes were
of such a quality that they “could only (have been) affected by a nation
through a state intelligence service.”

He said that this had led to the conclusion that “Israel was responsible
for the counterfeiting and cloning of those passports”.

The AFP and the Director-General of ASIO made trips to Israel to
investigate the allegations.

Mr Smith said that the Australian investigation cleared the four
Australians whose identities were used in the operation. They were
“innocent victims”, he said.

On relations with Israel, Mr Smith said: “We do not regard these actions
as the actions of a friend.”

But Mr Smith qualified his attack on Israel, adding, “We are a firm
friend of Israel. We regret very much that this incident has occurred.”

The Minister briefed the National Security Committee of Federal Cabinet
this morning on the findings of the intelligence agencies, and
recommended the expulsion of the Israeli diplomat as well as a freeze on
intelligence sharing.

Questioned on whether the officer expelled from Australia was a member
of Mossad, Mr Smith said: “I’m not proposing to identify that particular
person". However, he appeared to keep open such a possibility by adding,
“Our response on any measure is comparable to the British response.”

Mr Smith said the abuse of Australia's passports was not what Australia
expected from a nation with which it had had such a close and friendly
relationship.

Isreal's ambassador is overseas until June 8, but the Israeli embassy in
Canberra has declined to comment until later today.

In March, Britain expelled Mossad's London station chief over the use of
forged British passports in the assassination of al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

The French, Irish and German governments also investigated the use of
copies of their passports in the Dubai killing.

- with Kirsty Needham

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