11:41AM IL: According to a Sky News report, Britain is about to expel an Israeli diplomat in response to the Dubai “passport cloning” affair. The name of the diplomat or details pertaining to the unprecedented decision are unavailable at this time.

As Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu mends fences in Washington, moving ahead following the Ramat Shlomo diplomatic crisis, there appears to be a new diplomatic row, this time surrounding the assassination of a Hamas terrorist in a Dubai hotel. Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim blames the Israeli Mossad for the assassination. According to Tamim, as many as 15 British passports were forged by Mossad agents involved in the assassination.

Israel Foreign Ministry officials are confirming Ambassador Ron Proser was summoned by British Foreign Secretary officials on Monday. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is expected to make a formal announcement on Tuesday at 3:30PM GMT. 

Former Israeli Ambassador to Britain Tzvi Chafetz stated that if a member of Israel’s diplomatic team is expelled, this will represent a harsh move response to the Dubai affair, but in his interview with Israel Radio’s Yarom Dekel, he emphasized nevertheless Britain remains a strong and important ally and this relationship mustn’t be severed. He advises a toned-down Israeli response, stressing the need to permit the matter to take a back seat to current realities.

Chafetz does not believe that Ambassador Proser will be expelled, stating this would be too harsh a move.

According to the British Daily Telegraph, while the government is blaming Israel and taking stern retaliatory action, there is no conclusive evidence pointing to the Mossad. It should also be noted that to date, Israel has not accepted responsibility for the assassination of the senior Hamas leader in Dubai.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)