With Australia taking a firm accusatory position against Israel for the alleged use of passports of its citizens in the assassination of Hamas terrorist Mahmoud Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel in January, British police have sent a team to Israel to continue London’s investigation based on similar allegations.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Michael Rudd has released messages that his country is extremely angry and concerned over the Mossad’s identity theft, and awaits an explanation. Australian Foreign Ministry officials have summoned the Israeli ambassador in search of an explanation. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith summoned Ambassador Yuval Rotem, demanding an explanation in light of reports that three Australian passports were used by Mossad agents operating in Dubai. Prime Minister Rudd stated “I will not be quiet on the matter”, addressing members of the press. “If Australian passports are being used or forged by any state, let alone for the purpose of assassination, this is of the deepest concern and we are getting to the bottom of this now,” he added, concluding by telling the press “we will not leave a single stone unturned”.

Smith expressed concern over passports that have been “duplicated or altered”, telling members of the press “We have made no conclusion from our preliminary investigation, but it seems to be a serious abuse of three Australian passports either through forgery or identity fraud”.

“But I made it crystal clear to the ambassador that if the results of that investigation cause us to come to the conclusion that the abuse of Australian passports was in any way sponsored or condoned by Israeli officials, then Australia would not regard that as the act of a friend.”

Smith expressed dissatisfaction from the ambassador’s explanation.

As far as the British are concerned, two investigators arrived in Eretz Yisrael on shabbos, planning to speak with the British citizens whose identities were used in the Dubai operation. According to Rafi Shamir, a spokesman for the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, dozens of Israelis who hold British citizenship have been requested to come to the embassy in connection to the matter. They will be asked many questions, including if any Israeli official has instructed them how to respond in the event they are questioned since the Dubai operation was reported in the media.

In the meantime, Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim has called on Mossad Director Meir Dagan to confirm or deny the allegations that the assassination of the Hamas terrorist was a Mossad operation. Tamim released a statement “Let Dagan act like a man, to accept or deny responsibility. The way he is acting, the fog surrounding the Mossad’s involvement, obfuscating involvement only serves to heighten suspicion regarding the Mossad’s involvement”, he told reporters in the Gulf.

Tamim adds he has DNA evidence from one of the members of the hit team, signaling he plans to request Interpol issue 15 arrest warrants for those responsible, who he believes to be Mossad agents. He added that he knows for a fact that most of the agents involved in the hit have returned to Israel.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)