AUSTRALIA yesterday warned Israel its standing as a friend would be jeopardised if it were found to have condoned the suspected theft of three Australian citizens’ identities by its Mossad spy agency to carry out a political assassination.
As [Prime Minister] Kevin Rudd demanded answers over Israel’s role in the growing international scandal – and ASIO and the Australian Federal Police launched investigations – it was revealed that Australia had previously warned Israel not to use fake Australian passports for intelligence operations.
A diplomatic row broke out yesterday when three Victorians, all living in Israel, were confirmed among 26 people from four nations whose tampered passports were allegedly used by a team of suspected Israeli Mossad agents who assassinated Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith summoned Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Yuval Rotem, early yesterday to express his “grave concern” about the issue.
The Aussie connection come in the wake of European nations having words to Israel over stolen identities apparently used in the hit. Israel has a history of this crap. In 2004, New Zealand suspended relations with Israel when Mossad agents were caught forging passports.
Why does Israel keep abusing its relationships with the West? I’d have thought they could use all the friends they could get.
#60 By the way Chris, explain this:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/952600.stm
The Israeli military eventually cleared the criminals who did this.
Bobbo (who I often agree with)
“how close an analogy is someone stealing my identity and looting my bank account to someone copying my passport information and assassinating a Hamas scumbag?”
I suppose it depends whether the offended party believes that
a/ it really wasn’t you that did it
b/ you didn’t deliberately leave your passport lying around where anyone could copy it
#54 Israel isn’t being attacked for being different; it’s being attacked for acts of genocide against indigenous people. The myth of the poor innocent jew is long gone. Israel has been the aggressor in the Middle East for years. Their attack on Lebanon essentially spawned the international terrorism we see today. Without Israel and its policy of aggression and genocide, the Middle East would be a region that had little effect on the world beyond its resource. And at the behest of Israel, the US attacked Iraq and Afghanistan which has literally tanked this country. Every American should be aware of the deleterious effect Israel has had on this country and demand that our government and financial institutions divest itself of a fascist government. The charge of anti-semitism in this case is nothing but crying “wolf”.
#61 & 62 JScott,
I stand by my analysis.
I don’t have fuzzy feelings for the Israelis(positive or negative), and that is the crux of the divergence in our views. Look at the structure and activities of the successful (at surviving, for starters) regimes in the middle east. Compare Egypt, Iran, Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey to the Palestinians, Armenians, Lebanese and Kurds.
All of the first group(fighters-survivors) secretly deal with each other and use each other for domestic political stalking horses. The second group try and play the cohesive powers off against each other for advantage. They tend to make good smugglers and wheeler-dealers, but poor nationalist champions.
The world that exists is no accident. The Palestinians got their shit taken by the Israelis, then by the PA, and now they are getting their shit taken by pan-Arabist ideologues(bankrupt ones at that since they are dancing to a Persian tune).
Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not angry or outraged like the Faux News people (or you, for that matter). This game is older than time. Some lose.
#65 You grossly over-simplify the situation. You make it sound like these people just fell apart of their own weight. The Palestinians lived in peace with Jews since the end of the Crusades. Their “shit got taken” as you put at the same time as the French, Dutch, Polish, and half of Europe got their shit taken early in the 20th century. Look up WWI and Palestine, then Google the name Hitler. This should cover the relevant time-frame.
The League of Nations established the British to rule as regents of Palestine in 1920 until the Zionists started executing terrorist attacks against the British to bring pressure to establish a Jewish state.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel_Bombing
The international community looked-out for everyone in that list except the Palestinian Arabs. You are factually wrong pal. I suggest you read up on the creation of Israel. The Palestinians did not “simply” lose their shit. The Israelis, who were supported by the United States caused the upheaval in Lebanon to suit their own purposes. It has been a tug of war with Syria since then.
As for the Armenians and Kurds, there was this little thing called the Soviet Union. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. These folks “lost their shit” along with Georgia, the Ukraine, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, the list goes on and on. READ UP ON YOUR HISTORY then come back with an informed opinion.
Here is a little something a bit more recent to get you started. See if you can put this in context. If you don’t see the connection then you are farther behind than I thought.
news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/middle_east/8546276.stm