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Mossad Australian Passport Scam - How not to win friends and influence countries

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  • Mossad Australian Passport Scam - How not to win friends and influence countries

    Israel warned before on faking passport: diplomat

    Cameron Stewart From: The Australian February 27, 2010 12:00AM

    A FORMER Australian ambassador to Israel has revealed that he warned the Israeli government not to fake Australian passports for intelligence operations.

    Ian Wilcock, who was Australia's ambassador in Israel from 1997 to 1999, has told The Weekend Australian that he met Israeli Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem twice during his posting to convey to them strong concerns about the potential abuse of Australian passports by Israeli intelligence.

    "I can confirm there have been past approaches to the Israelis on the possible abuse of Australian passports," Mr Wilcock said yesterday.

    "The abuse of such a fundamental Australian document is completely unacceptable.

    "We had concerns at the time about the abuse of the passports of a third country, so I met senior officials in the foreign ministry in Jerusalem and we put our concerns very strongly about the potential for this being done to Australian passports."

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    JEWISH LEADERS: No hard evidence of Israeli hand
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    Mr Wilcock's comments support assertions made this week by former foreign minister Alexander Downer, who said the Howard government had raised the issue with the Israeli government.

    The Rudd government has demanded answers from Israel about its suspected role in backing the theft of three Australian citizens' identities by its spy agency, Mossad, to carry out a political assassination.

    Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has warned that Israel's standing as a friend would be jeopardised if it were found to have sponsored the doctoring of Australian passports.

    Britain, France, Ireland and Germany have also called on Israel to explain why the identities of their citizens were stolen as part of the 26-person hit-squad that suffocated Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in his Dubai hotel room.

    Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin said yesterday his government was "very angry" over the suspected use of forged Irish passports by the assassins.

    Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said there is no evidence to link his country to the killing.

    Like his assassins, who wore tennis clothes and designer suits to blend it with hotel guests, the victim himself kept a series of fake passports and disguises including coloured contact lenses to protect himself.

    It was reported yesterday that the passport photographs of the agents who assassinated Mabhouh were doctored so the agents would not be identified.

    According to Israel's Haaretz newspaper, the features of the people in the photographs, such as eye colour, or the line of a lip, were altered slightly so as not arouse suspicion at passport control, but still enough that the real agent could not be recognised.

    Australian Jewish community leaders refused to condemn Israel, saying evidence of its alleged involvement in the assassination was inconclusive and unproven.

    Mr Wilcock declined to comment on the Israeli response to his warning.

    But diplomatic sources say Israeli officials had given no promises and had appeared to be offended by the suggestion they might abuse the identity of Australian citizens.

    The former ambassador said the willingness of Israelis to go to such extremes reflected their deep fears about national security.

    "It is important to understand the psychology of Israelis in dealing with national security threats,' he said.

    "The Holocaust may be old news to a great part of the world but it is a living and deeply painful memory to Israelis and to Jews everywhere. Israel will never leave the security of the country to others. The belief is Jews must be able to look after themselves."

    Israel warned before on faking passport: diplomat | The Australian

    Thanks for bringing any Australian travelling to an Arab country under suspicion that they could be a Mossad agent Israel. This is a real show of gratitude to a nation that has been a long term staunch supporter of your state, including through actions like this.

    "UK Special Air Service units, backed by Royal Marines of 45 Commando, are in the vanguard of a free-wheeling war in the Iraqi western desert - along with a squadron from Australia's Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) and US special operations forces - to neutralise any 'Scud' missile batteries threatening Israel. One officer has called western Iraq a "special forces playground"."

    Iraq's western desert a 'special forces playground' - Jane's Defence News
    Last edited by Aussiegunner; 27 Feb 10,, 03:09.
    "There is no such thing as society" - Margaret Thatcher

  • #2
    Look at the bright side, the next time I need my Australian Passport renewed I can just go to the Israeli Consulate instead. I bet the queue would be a lot shorter than the one at the passport office.
    If you are emotionally invested in 'believing' something is true you have lost the ability to tell if it is true.

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    • #3
      Seriously, why does this issue bug the Aussies so much. The Israelis (Peace Be Upon Them) did the civilized world a huge favour in fixing this guy, who is probably enjoying his 72 virgins now....
      Seek Save Serve Medic

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      • #4
        Originally posted by 667medic View Post
        Seriously, why does this issue bug the Aussies so much. The Israelis (Peace Be Upon Them) did the civilized world a huge favour in fixing this guy, who is probably enjoying his 72 virgins now....
        With you all the way, man.

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        • #5
          We've also had problems with the Israelis forging Canadian passports.

          Australia and Canada have to protest noisily when these incidents occur, since otherwise we would seem complicit in the assassination. However, it's not like we're imposing sanctions.

          Israel is creating some minor, though real, problems for us by forging our passports, since it can lead to our travellers and businesspeople being subjected to additional border hassles in countries with whom we would otherwise have quite normal relations, such as the UAE.

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          • #6
            Sorry - but as the threads crossover this is a cut and paste.

            All Passports remain the property of the Australian Government, not the bearer.
            All Passports Contain the following in the front of them
            Quote:
            The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, being the representative in Australia of Her majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, requests all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let of hindrance and to afford him or her every assistance and protection of which he or she may stand in need.
            This aint some pissant document to be forged. It is a Government document assuming inherent responsibility for the actions of those carrying it should they **** up.

            Irrelevant of whom, what or reason - they are a document of authenticity.

            Cape Royds hit the nail on the head. If you don't make noise, your in the shite. As are your citizens/credibility. You CAN make noise, even if diplomatically it actually means nothing which is what has actually happened. The issue is dead already.

            The Government would not be acting in the interests of it's own citizens if it did not.
            Ego Numquam

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by 667medic View Post
              Seriously, why does this issue bug the Aussies so much. The Israelis (Peace Be Upon Them) did the civilized world a huge favour in fixing this guy, who is probably enjoying his 72 virgins now....
              If they had knocked off a Al Quaeda or JI operative I might agree with that but Hamas is no threat to Australia, only Israel. I don't care how many Israelis this action potentially saved, they don't have the right to make a decision that might risk a single Australian life, or the life of any third party whose conflict this isn't.
              Last edited by Aussiegunner; 20 Mar 10,, 06:53.
              "There is no such thing as society" - Margaret Thatcher

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Bluesman View Post
                With you all the way, man.
                With respect, if this was an American passport being used the US Government and most of its citizens would go friggin' berzerk.

                The only reason Israel does this to countries like Canada and Australia is that we are English speakers who aren't their biggest ally. However, if they keep this up there might come a time when they need us for something that we might not give them ... a piece of intelligence arising out of our local Arab communities which might save Israeli lives for instance. That would be unfortunate wouldn't it.
                "There is no such thing as society" - Margaret Thatcher

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by 667medic View Post
                  Seriously, why does this issue bug the Aussies so much. The Israelis (Peace Be Upon Them) did the civilized world a huge favour in fixing this guy, who is probably enjoying his 72 virgins now....
                  As somebody who travels quite a lot, it bugs me, because next time I head over there my time traversing customs could well be increased due to nothing I did, nothing my campatriots did and nothing my government did. Same thing when I am stopped by the police there (and anyone who travels in the middle east outside of the tourist areas know this is almost a certainty at some point).

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by ROB View Post
                    As somebody who travels quite a lot, it bugs me, because next time I head over there my time traversing customs could well be increased due to nothing I did, nothing my campatriots did and nothing my government did. Same thing when I am stopped by the police there (and anyone who travels in the middle east outside of the tourist areas know this is almost a certainty at some point).
                    And if you are an Australian who happens to be in a place where and a time when there is an assasination carried out by Mossad on an Australian passport, you might be subject to misdirected violent retribution.
                    "There is no such thing as society" - Margaret Thatcher

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by cape_royds View Post
                      Australia and Canada have to protest noisily when these incidents occur, since otherwise we would seem complicit in the assassination. However, it's not like we're imposing sanctions.
                      True. But Australia abstained in the last vote against Israel in the UN. Usually they are a staunch supporter.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by 667medic View Post
                        Seriously, why does this issue bug the Aussies so much. The Israelis (Peace Be Upon Them) did the civilized world a huge favour in fixing this guy, who is probably enjoying his 72 virgins now....
                        Couldn't have said it better.
                        I find it funny how the entire world is occupied with such a meaningless issue instead of thanking Israel for riding this world from another cold blooded murderer.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Coup De Grace View Post
                          Couldn't have said it better.
                          I find it funny how the entire world is occupied with such a meaningless issue instead of thanking Israel for riding this world from another cold blooded murderer.
                          Ah, but do the ends justify the means? Putting aside my personal feelings for the moment (Glad he's dead, don't really care how) is it worth it for Israel to kill one person, but in the process break a large number of international laws and piss off a lot of friendly nations?

                          No one has positively concluded that Israelis actually committed the hit, but you can't only look at it from one point of view. You need to look at both sides of the story. For every person who's glad he's dead, there is another who is upset his country's passports were used.
                          Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

                          Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by bigross86 View Post
                            Ah, but do the ends justify the means? Putting aside my personal feelings for the moment (Glad he's dead, don't really care how) is it worth it for Israel to kill one person, but in the process break a large number of international laws and piss off a lot of friendly nations?

                            No one has positively concluded that Israelis actually committed the hit, but you can't only look at it from one point of view. You need to look at both sides of the story. For every person who's glad he's dead, there is another who is upset his country's passports were used.
                            Everything is legal until you get caught. I'm pretty sure that other intelligence agencies will not hesitate to use similar techniques to get an operation this complicated done (getting a clean hit on a target that found refuge in an unfriendly country is not an easy task). Besides, until they prove we had anything to do with it, it could have been anyone, Hamas activists have many enemies.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Aussiegunner View Post
                              With respect, if this was an American passport being used the US Government and most of its citizens would go friggin' berzerk.
                              I have no idea what the government's reaction would be - presumably they'd have to issue a protest of some sort for form's sake. But I strongly suspect the population at large would collectively shrug and change the channel.
                              "Nature abhors a moron." - H.L. Mencken

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