As Israel waits impatiently for the diplomatic row with the UK to wane, Australia took a step that echoes the UK, ousting a diplomat. It appears an Australian investigation of the use of forged passports in the assassination of a senior Hamas terrorist in a Dubai hotel has pointed a finger at Israel, despite the fact that the Mossad or other Israeli agency has not accepted responsibility for the action.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has informed Israeli officials that the Mossad representative to Canberra must leave the country, following Britain’s lead, ousting the Mossad representative to that country. Actually, in the case of Britain, an Israeli effort to appoint a new Mossad representative was met with British refusal, apparently signaling the wounds have not yet healed.

Australian media agencies report that state officials feel that the high quality of the forged Australian passports testify to state involvement in the operation, opting to select Israel after Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Britain and others blamed the Mossad.

Foreign ministry officials in Australia add that Israel has been warned in the past to never use forged Australian passports in clandestine operations, seeking to add an additional measure of justification to the harsh decision.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)