Britain expels Israeli diplomat
23 March 2010
FCO - The Foreign Secretary David Miliband has announced that a member of the Embassy of Israel has been asked to withdraw from the UK following the misuse British passports in the assassination of a senior Hamas official in Dubai this January.
On 17 January the Prime Minister announced an investigation in the use of counterfeit British passports in the killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh in Dubai on 19 January
The Serious and Organised Crime Agency has been leading a full investigation into the fraudulent use of British passports in Dubai, in close co-operation with the Emirati authorities.
Speaking in the House of Commons at 15.30 today the Foreign Secretary said:
"With your permission Mr Speaker I will report to the House on the investigation announced on 17 February by the Prime Minister into the use of counterfeit British passports in the killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh in Dubai on 19 January. The UK is continuing to support inquiries underway in a number of countries including in the UAE itself. However at the end of last week the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) reported to the Home Secretary on their investigation. Its report has now been studied by the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and myself, and presented to the Cabinet this morning.
"In the last 24 hours I have spoken to the Foreign Ministers of the other countries whose passports were involved. Their investigations are continuing.
"It would not be right to release the report in full, for legal and other reasons, but it is right that the House knows a summary of the conclusions that SOCA have reached and the action we will be taking in response.
"For the avoidance of any doubt I should make clear to the House that in the case of each of the 12 passport holders to whom SOCA spoke, SOCA found no evidence to suggest that any of those individuals were anything other than wholly innocent victims of identify theft.
"It should not need saying, but I must also add in the strongest possible terms that the UK had absolutely no advance knowledge of what happened in Dubai nor any involvement whatsoever in the killing.
"SOCA conducted an extremely professional investigation. The Israeli authorities met all the requests SOCA made of them. SOCA were drawn to the conclusion that the passports used were copied from genuine British passports when handed over for inspection to individuals linked to Israel, either in Israel or in other countries. They found no link to any other country.
"Given that this was a very sophisticated operation in which high-quality forgeries were made, the Government judges it is highly likely that the forgeries were made by a State intelligence service. Taking this together with other inquiries and the link to Israel established by SOCA, we have concluded that there are compelling reasons to believe that Israel was responsible for the misuse of British passports.
"The Government takes this matter extremely seriously. Such misuse of British passports is intolerable. It presents a hazard for the safety of British nationals in the region. It also represents a profound disregard for the sovereignty of the UK. The fact that this was done by a country which is a friend, with significant diplomatic, cultural, business and personal ties to the UK, only adds insult to injury. No country or Government could stand by in such a situation.
"Mr Speaker, Israel is a democratic country, with remarkable achievements to its name, in a dangerous part of the world. That makes international cooperation even more important. Britain has worked and will continue to work closely with Israel on a range of issues, notably the Iranian nuclear threat. But that cooperation must be based on transparency and trust.
"The Government is therefore taking a number of steps, based on the evidence of what has occurred, to make clear its deep unhappiness at what has happened, and to seek to ensure this abuse does not happen again.
"I met Foreign Minister Lieberman on 22 February. At that stage our investigation was only just starting. I told him then of our deep concern at the incident, and made clear my expectation that Israel would cooperate with the investigation. I met him again in Brussels yesterday. I set out the findings from the SOCA report; our intended actions; and our determination to see that this affair should never be repeated. I also handed over a letter seeking a formal assurance from him that in the future the State of Israel would never be party to the misuse British passports in such a way.
"Diplomatic work between Britain and Israel needs to be conducted according to the highest standards of trust. The work of our Embassy in Israel, and the Israeli Embassy in London, is vital to the cooperation between our countries. So is the Strategic Dialogue between our countries. These ties are important and we want them to continue. However I have asked that a member of the Embassy of Israel be withdrawn from the UK as a result of this affair, and this is taking place.
"Right Honourable and Honourable Members will be concerned about the fate of the British passport holders concerned. As one of them said, to go to bed a citizen and wake up as a wanted terrorist is shocking. We have provided consular assistance to the twelve people whose identities and passports were misused. As part of this, we offered them all new biometric passports, which are being rolled out to the whole population and are considerably more difficult to counterfeit, so should give them the confidence they need that they can still travel safely on their British passports. 11 of the 12 have so far been issued with new biometric passports.
"To alert other British nationals to the risks that their passports might be misused in the same way, I am today amending our travel advice for Israel to make clear the potential risk, and to set out the steps they can take to minimise that risk.
"Mr Speaker, the Middle East is not a place for woolly or wishful thinking. The Israeli people crave and deserve legitimacy and security. The United Kingdom will not compromise its support for this. But the actions in this case are completely unacceptable and must stop.
"I commend this Statement to the House."
