NY Times: Britain Expels Israel Diplomat Over Fake Passports

[marmar]

Britain Expels Israel Diplomat Over Fake Passports

By JOHN F. BURNS
Published: March 23, 2010


LONDON — In a rare move by a friendly government, Britain expelled an Israeli diplomat on Tuesday to rebuke the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the suspected use of a dozen fake British passports in the assassination of a Hamas official in a Dubai hotel earlier this year.

“Such misuse of British passports is intolerable,” the British foreign secretary, David Miliband, said in remarks to the House of Commons. “The fact that this was done by a friendly country only adds insult to injury.”

He called Israel’s actions “completely unacceptable” and said “they must stop.”

The British decision to expel an Israeli diplomat is a new turn in Israel’s recent frictions with its closest Western allies, after a cooling of ties with the United States in the wake of the Netanyahu government’s decision this month to approve new Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem.

Mr. Miliband did not identify the Israeli diplomat, but British news reports speculated that he was the London station chief of Mossad, Israel’s overseas spy agency. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/world/middleeast/24dubai.html?hp

[babylonsister]

1. They also supposedly kicked out the Mossad station chief-guess

they mean business. Israel hasn't been winning many friends lately.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/7505854/Mossad-expulsion-marks-new-low-in-relations.html

Mossad expulsion marks new low in relations

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. This is Big Breaking News on the BBC and Europe this morning

But wasn't allowed in DU's LBNs

Number one story on the BBC homepage.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

[Ian David]

3. They should have just blown-up the whole building with a Predator drone like normal countries do. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. It was time.

I'm sorry if it offends someone, but it was just time that someone make a stand on what is right and what is very wrong in regards to the methods used by our allies to get back at their enemies. Lord knows we get criticized all the time. Especially when the Republicans are in power and go apeshit with retaliation strategies.

[Wilms]

5. k&r n/t