With the Dubai investigation into the assassination of Hamas terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh moving along, the governments of Britain and Ireland have summoned the Israeli ambassadors in those countries for a meeting, seeking an explanation for the use of passports, the identity theft of their citizens.
It should be added at this point that while European nations and others are operating under the assumption that the January assassination of the arch terrorist in a Dubai hotel was carried out by the Mossad Intelligence Agency, the Mossad or any Israeli official have not accepted responsibility.
The two countries are operating under the premise that the Mossad perpetrated the hit in the luxury hotel, with the team entering and leaving Dubai with forged passports. In Israel, the Foreign Ministry has released a statement on Thursday morning that at this time, it prefers not to comment, opting to permit the situation to develop.
Back at home, the atmosphere among Israelis is one if approval, praising the operation, albeit the diplomatic row that appears to be escalating is an unwanted side effect of the mission. Interestingly, during his last tenure as prime minister over a decade ago, Binyamin Netanyahu’s administration became ensnarled in a diplomatic row with Jordan, when Mossad agents were captured after injecting Hamas leader Khaled Meshal with a potentially fatal drug. Netanyahu had to quickly air lift the antidote to Amman and release Hamas founder and leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin from prison in return for the release of the agents. [The latter was eventually eliminated in an IAF targeted strike in Gaza].
“The Mossad have renewed the aura that the name Mossad used to generate in the region,” Alon Ben David, an intelligence analyst, told Israeli radio, explaining that Mossad Director Meir Dagan is credited in a string of hits, once again showing the world the extended hand of the intelligence agency can strike out at Israel’s enemies wherever they seek a safe haven. Despite the mounting accusation and diplomatic tensions between European nations over the alleged use of passports, Israel or the Mossad have yet to accept responsibility for the Dubai operation. In the Foreign Ministry nevertheless the atmosphere is one of anger and concern as tensions continue to mount between Jerusalem, Ireland and Britain. From a diplomatic perspective, the mission indeed complicated relations between Israel and European allies.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Martin released a statement that the use of the identities of two Irish citizens has placed them at risk. Minister Martin stated the entire matter is being taken extremely seriously.
Dagan’s popularity at home remains high, despite the in-fighting in the agency surrounding his reported dictatorial operational policies. When his term was extended for an additional year in 2009, seconds in command reportedly handed in their resignations, unwilling to remain subordinates for another year.
The Guardian online reports that Hamas security official Nahro Massoud is being detained in Syria and interrogated for allegedly providing information that assisted Mossad agents in achieving their objective. Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshal, who is based in Syria, denies the accuracy of that report, explaining Massoud is being questioned, providing information regarding “Palestinian defectors”.
This would be in line with earlier reports from al-Jazeera that two arrests were made in Jordan of Arabs believed connected to the plot, having assisted Israel with vital intelligence information. The daily Haaretz reports on Thursday that the two are Ahmad Hasnin, a PA intelligence operative, and Anwar Shekhaiber, an employee of the PA in Ramallah. Jordan confirms the two have been extradited to Dubai. Apparently, the two are former resident of Gaza, referring to the days prior to the rule of the current Hamas regime.
The PA’s Maan News Agency report Dubai officials have retina scans of eleven team members and they will hand them over to Interpol at the appropriate time.
THE HIT
According to various reports, the victim was targeted in his second floor room of the luxury Dubai hotel by men wearing baseball caps. They were in his room for no more than ten minutes, then leaving the building and fleeing the country. The team members changed outward appearances a number of times with the use of wigs, glasses and other adjuncts.
It appears that Dubai vast security camera system has significantly complicated the matter, providing investigators with extensive footage of the alleged operatives and their actions.
An Emirati officials quoted by the New York Times stated there was a second woman involved perhaps, who was seen leaving the hotel at the same time as the others. Original reports from Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan indicated that Gail Folliard was the only woman in the team. According to the Times report, the team did not number 11, but 17, and authorities are still working to learn the identities of the six others. There is speculation that the mystery members includes the two Arabs in custody in Jordan, the second woman [who was wearing white pants and a striped hat], and Massoud.
According to a UK report, the hit was more than is visible on the surface, connecting to Iran, explaining al-Mabhouh provided the connection between Iran and Gaza, and he was smuggling longer-range rockets into Gaza supplied by Iran. This made him a prime target as Israel continues efforts to prevent the importation of advanced weaponry into Gaza.
Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan also points to an Austrian connection, explaining Austria served as the communications command center, indicating a number of cellular telephone numbers uncovered in the investigation trace to there. Austrian officials are investigating as well. Intelligence analysts point out that Austria frequently serves as a base for such operations involving many nations.
Israeli Ambassador to the UK Ron Prosor is being summoned by the British Foreign Secretary today, Thursday, and he will be requested to explain the use of identities of six citizens. Britain is taking a harsh position, at least in the media, angered over the identity theft and linking the UK to the assassination. Britain has shouted “Mossad responsibility” from the onset, but in Jerusalem, officials remain silent.
While there are calls demanding Dagan’s resignation from some elements, such a move is highly unlikely. Media reports in Israel state that Dagan has absolutely no intentions of stepping down.
In a related matter, in the ongoing dispute for and against the biometric passports and a national DNA database, proponents explain that forging high-tech passports is considerably more difficult and that is why Israel must adopt the new system and bring an end to the archaic passports in use today, while opponents stress that a national DNA database will lead to increased cases of this very problem, identity theft.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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8 Responses
huh? what? who, us? sorry, don’t know a thing.
Aha, so this is what unites Britain and Ireland.
we have way more than the right to defend ourselves, lets put those who accuse us of a crime on trial individually.
it also looks like an amature framing, to slander us in the international community. drags us into the arabian media as villians and into the farthest corners of europe as villians who are getting them in trouble.
the death almost serves antisemites more than us…
I think Israel should just stand their ground and if the Anti-Semites in the U.K. don’t like it, Tough!
Oh please and the CIA would never use such tactics stop the double standard the guy was a terrorist and deserved what ever he got from whomever he got it from
all the ones that say that israel did the killing of this wounderfull man should look in there own back yard
Let’s assume for a moment that Mossad operatives indeed executed arch-terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. Moreover, let’s assume for a moment that the Mossad members who took part in the operation were exposed by the cameras and the photos were published worldwide. So what?
Wanted
Report: Al-Mabhouh was at top of Mossad’s hit list / Ynet
British columnist Gordon Thomas, who wrote book on Israeli intelligence agency, says recent Dubai assassination of senior Hamas figure ‘a classic example of how Mossad goes about its work’
Full story
This is not a great screw-up, and those who are happy at this seeming failure have no reason to be so gleeful. I am much happier that we are rid of a bitter and cruel enemy, Mr. Mabhouh, who we sought out for many years before his demise.
So how does the prime minister approve such operation, assuming that the Mossad indeed carried it out? The PM asks himself: In the worst-case scenario, if the operatives are nabbed heaven forbid and end up being hanged in Dubai for example, would the operation still be worthy? Was the objective so vital and important that it merited the death of our agents? If the answer is “yes,” despite a thousand doubts, the orders are given.
So now this is the question being asked: Was Mabhouh worth the effort and the anxious moments? There is an idiom we commonly use around here about “being able to replace anyone.” Yet this is not true in Mabhouh’s case.
The fact that the average Israeli did not hear his name until last week doesn’t mean we didn’t know about him. We certainly did, and for many years we were pursuing him – not only because his connection to the murder of IDF soldiers Avi Sasportas and Ilan Saadon but also because he was the driving force, a great bigwig in the terror world; a man involved in everything.
Headlines disappear quickly
Now, let’s assume for a moment that indeed our Mossad terminated his life, after making great efforts, and that Mossad agents were photographed, and that their photos were seen all around the world. Firstly, we should note that Mossad cells were exposed in the past (in Norway, in Jordan, in New Zealand, in Switzerland, and in Cyprus) and nothing happened. The agents were transferred to office jobs and new ones replaced them.
Secondly, the men and woman in the photographs likely do not look like that in their everyday lives, and even if we can guess what they would look like without a moustache or a beard, or with long or short hair, it would still be difficult to identify them. The identification job would be easier should biometric means be used, yet we can count on the “Jewish mind” to find a solution for that too.
There are two questions we need to ask in this case: Was the objective – assassinating Mabhouh – achieved? The answer is yes. Were the assassins nabbed by the enemy? The answer is no.
As to the usage of passports belonging to Israeli nationals: We should note, in case some people forgot, that such cases happened in the past and also involved foreign citizens in other countries. These stories usually made headlines for only a few days before disappearing. I wonder why.
As to the unpleasant moments vis-à-vis other governments – Britain, Ireland, and France in this case – no need to worry. They said what they said yesterday, and will likely not say more. And they have a good reason for that.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mabhouh is no longer with us, and we shall be grateful to the mysterious people responsible for it.
i would wager that this was not the work of the mossad at all. it was far too sloppy…
perhaps this was someone trying to blame israel for something..
maybe dubai themselves, maybe iran, maybe syria…