After Dubai Hit, Israel Meets With Britain, Ireland Over Fake Passports
Israel’s ambassadors to Britain and Ireland were called in to meet with Foreign Ministry officials of each county over the use of fake passports by a hit squad believed to be from the Mossad.
The envoys were asked to provide additional information about the foirged travel documents used in the assassination in Dubai last month of top Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
Israel’s ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, met with deputy foreign minister Sir Peter Ricketts Thursday afternoon after being invited by the ministry to clarify why the identities of six British-Israeli citizens who reside in Israel were used on the Dubai hit squad’s forged passports.
“Despite my willingness to cooperate with his request, I could not shed new light on the said matters.” Prosor said following the meeting, Haaretz reported.
Hamas blames Israel’s Mossad for last month’s assassination of al-Mabhouh in a hotel room in Dubai. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. Still, the incident has threatened to cause a rift in relations between Israel and Britain.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for a “full investigation” into the passports incident.
In a meeting Thursday afternoon with the Irish Foreign Ministry, Israeli Ambassador to Ireland Zion Evrony was asked to provide information about the fake passports used by the alleged assassins. Evrony said he did not have any information, Ynet reported.
The passport pictures released by Dubai police do not match the faces of the Israeli residents with the same names, according to reports. The passports used to enter Dubai were from France, Ireland, Britain and Germany.
Some of the named Israelis told Israeli media outlets that they have not left the country in years, nor were their passports lost or stolen.
Arrest warrants were issued Tuesday for 11 passport holders. Another six alleged assassins have been identified in the meantime, according to reports.
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