Foreign Intrigue: Britain Expels Israeli Diplomat Over Killing of Palestinian Commander

LONDON, March 23, 2010— -- Britain today announced the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat in connection with the use of 12 forged British passports by suspects involved in the killing of a Hamas leader in Dubai earlier this year.

Israel and Britain have close ties, so it was an unusual move when the British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, told his colleagues in the House of Commons, "I have asked that a member of the embassy of Israel be withdrawn from the U.K. as a result of this affair, and this is taking place."

An investigation by Britain's Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) into the use of forged or cloned British passports by members of the hit squad in the Dubai assassination led Miliband to point the finger, openly, at Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency.

"Given that this was a very sophisticated operation in which high-quality forgeries were made, the government judges it is highly likely that the forgeries were made by a state intelligence service," said Milband. "Taking this together with other inquiries and the link to Israel established by SOCA, we have concluded that there are compelling reasons to believe that Israel was responsible for the misuse of the British passports."

Miliband said this use of British passports was "intolerable" and that it showed "a profound disregard for the sovereignty of the United Kingdom."

"The fact that this was done by a country which is a friend, with significant diplomatic, cultural, business and personal ties to the U.K., only adds insult to injury," Miliband said.

Interpol has issued arrest warrants for 27 suspects involved in the killing of Mahmoud al Mabhouh, a commander of the militant Hamas group, in a hotel room in Dubai.

Al Mabhouh was known for founding the Ezzedine Al Qassem brigade, the military wing of the Islamist Palestinian movement, and was believed to be supplying rockets and arms supplies to Hamas fighters.

The suspects in his murder were not only using forged British passports, but also European and Australian ones.

France and Ireland are carrying out similar investigations into the fraudulent use of their passports. The SOCA investigation, the results of which Miliband discussed today, was not into the murder itself, only the use of forged British passports.

Israel's Mossad Behind Murder

The Dubai police, who are responsible for the murder investigation, have maintained throughout that they believe Mossad to be responsible.

"Our investigations reveal that Mossad is involved in the murder of al Mabhouh. It is 99 percent, if not 100 percent that Mossad is standing behind the murder," Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim told The National in February.

In response to such accusations, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel's Army Radio earlier this year, "There is no reason to think that it was the Israeli Mossad and not some other intelligence service or country up to some mischief."

His remarks were of particular note -- Israel generally does not comment on suspected Mossad activities.

When asked if he thought the use of forged British passports in the assassination could lead to diplomatic difficulties between the two countries, he replied, "I think Britain recognizes that Israel is a responsible country and that our security activity is conducted according to very clear, cautious and responsible rules of the game. Therefore, we have no cause for concern."

But Miliband's strong language today warned Israel off such behavior in the future: "The actions in this case are completely unacceptable and they must stop."

Miliband refused to comment on the identity of the diplomat, but British media reports speculate that he was the head of Mossad in the U.K.

This is not the first time that Britain has expelled a suspected Mossad agent. In 1988, Israel's embassy attache, Arie Regev, was expelled by Margaret Thatcher's government for "activities incompatible with diplomatic duties." In 1987, another Israeli, Jacob Barad, was barred from returning to Britain.

Both the Israeli foreign ministry and Israel's ambassador to London voiced disappointment in today's decision.

"The relationship between Israel and the United Kingdom is of mutual importance; hence, we are disappointed," Ambassador Ron Prosor told reporters today.

The Israeli diplomat has two weeks to leave Britain, according to foreign office officials.