Israeli envoy ‘in alarm’ after Australia expels Mossad agent
May 25, 2010 3 Comments
Yuval Rotem
By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
The Israeli ambassador to Australia, who was in Israel on business, expedited his return to Canberra yesterday, immediately after Australia announced the expulsion of Israel’s senior Mossad representative in the country. Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reports that ambassador Yuval Rotem decided to cut short his trip to Israel “in alarm”, as the “escalated crisis” between Israel and Australia appears to be deepening. As intelNews readers read on April 14, Australia had announced the pending expulsion after official investigations by Australian law enforcement and intelligence authorities revealed beyond doubt that the Israeli spy agency Mossad had forged at least four Australian passports. The passports were among several Western identity documents employed by Mossad agents in targeting Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated in a luxury Dubai hotel last January. Australia’s foreign minister, Stephen Smith, told reporters that the decision to expel the Mossad official was “made much more in sorrow than in anger”, but that “no government [could] tolerate the abuse of its passports, especially by a foreign government”. He also noted that the forging of the passports was “not the act of a friend”. But the Israeli government denies any wrongdoing and follows its standard policy of refusing to comment on security and intelligence issues. A spokesman at the Israeli embassy in Canberra simply expressed his “regret for the Australian decision, [which] is not reflective of the extensive relationship between the two nations”. The name of the Mossad official who will be asked to leave Australia at the end of this week has not been released. Last March, Britain also expelled the Mossad’s representative in London, after it confirmed that at least 12 forged British passports were used by the same Mossad hit squad that killed al-Mabhouh.
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The crisis is certainly esculating in Australia –
It is neither wonder that as a precaution the
South Pacific version of ‘mossad’ recently
took steps to urgently commission and
occupy it’s ‘new’ embassy in Wellington
New Zealand .
If agencies in Australia look any closer at
the Israeli’s organisation and past associations
it would undoubtably be less embarrassing to all
if the Israeli Embassy in Canberra was closed.
Therefore the only other country giving Mossad
ease of access and affording negligable immigration control would be New Zealand – where despite past misdeeds – it appears the
Mossad are still welcome – providing of course
their operatives don’t ‘fess’ to having copied
or ‘ purchased ‘ more than one New Zealand Passport in the preceeding 12 months !!!
This way Mossad will be able to retain it’s
crucial South Pacific presence for ever and
a day.
Interesting comment. I’d be interested in your response to the commentary on this issue by two former Australian intelligence officers, which we published earlier today. [IA]
What about that Orthodox Jew claiming aboriginal status who was caught smuggling a significant amount of leafy plant material from Israel into Sydney about two years ago, all of which was extensively covered with plant rusts? Why would a citizen carry “spices” that were obviously heavily infected with plant disease halfway around the world and attempt to smuggle them through customs? I would be on the alert for agricultural espionage originating in Israel.