Israeli diplomat expelled from Ireland over Dubai assassination plot

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Calling it a “protest action,” Ireland on Tuesday ordered the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat after concluding that Israel's intelligence service had used Irish passports as part of the Dubai assassination plot against Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in January.

“The Irish government does not believe that states should fight terror with terror," the Irish foreign minister said Tuesday, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The news comes as Polish prosecutors have announced they will seek to extradite to Germany another Israeli suspect who allegedly forged a passport in Germany for use in the same operation.

The developments add to international criticism of Israel that has mounted since May, when Israeli naval commandos opened fire on a flotilla of aid ships near Gaza. That raid resulted in the deaths of nine pro-Palestinian activists.

Since Mahmoud al-Mabhouh’s death in January, investigations by the UK and Australian governments have found “compelling evidence” that Israeli intelligence agents stole and forged several passports. England and Australia both expelled Israeli diplomats in the wake of the allegations. The passports were used to make fake identities for a Mossad hit team that killed Mr. al-Mabhouh, according to the Dubai police. The Dubai police have said the team consisted of 27 members.

Israel has refused to confirm or deny its involvement in the assassination plot. But Interpol found the Dubai police’s evidence strong enough to issue arrest warrants for all 27, as The Christian Science Monitor reported.

Following its own investigation, Ireland recently concluded that Israel’s intelligence service forged eight Irish passports, reports the Belfast Telegraph.

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