Yitzchak Mordechai, a former defense minister, refuses to return his diplomatic passport despite not having served as a member of cabinet for eight years. Protocol requires a minister to return the passport within a year of leaving office.

According to a Yediot Achronot report, Foreign Ministry officials have requested that Mordechai return the passport a number of times in recent months. The requests have been met with refusal. It is also reported that the former minister continues showing his passport when entering and leaving the country even though it has expired.

Just recently, customs officials reported to the Foreign Ministry that Mordechai entered the country using the expired diplomatic passport, prompting another request to surrender it. Once again, the request was turned down.

Apparently, Mordechai has requested from both the Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office that a former defense minister be permitted to continue using the diplomatic passport even years later since he has served in such a senior post.

Further complicating matters with Mordechai was an American government refusal to grant the former minister and IDF major-general a permanent visa because of his conviction and court martial on charges of inappropriate behavior with female staff members during his years of service. America denied the visa because his conviction also included a moral turpitude stipulation. Only after official government channels in Israel intervened, explaining he does not pose a threat to US citizens was the visa granted.

When contacted by Yediot, Mordechai was quoted as saying that at present, the passport is in the hands of American consular officials and when it is returned to him, he will forfeit it immediately as demanded. He added the passport is indeed valid, explaining the Foreign Ministry renewed it. Foreign Ministry officials stated this is just not so and the passport is expired as reported.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)