UK expels Israeli diplomat

Britain has expelled an Israeli diplomat from London and expressed anger over the use of fake UK passports by suspected Mossad agents in the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai.

In a move that highlights the strained relations between Israel and its major western allies, David Miliband, Britain’s foreign secretary, announced that the diplomat was being told to leave London following an official investigation into the cloning of some 12 UK passports.

The dispute comes at a time when Israel’s relations with the US are also tense. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, is due to meet Barack Obama, US president, on Tuesday, behind closed doors at the White House – the second meeting out of the public eye between the two leaders.

Although diplomats say the private format is not unusual, leaders of close allies – including Mr Netanyahu himself – have often been granted joint press conferences at the White House.

In London, Mr Miliband refused to state categorically whether Israel had been responsible for the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a leading figure in Hamas, in a Dubai hotel room on January 19. Mr Miliband noted that the authorities in the United Arab Emirates were continuing their investigation.

However, he said that Britain’s Serious Organised Crime Agency had established that the fake documents used in the operation were copied from genuine British passports that had been handled by Israeli officials on previous occasions.

Mr Miliband said the use of fake passports in this way was “intolerable” and amounted to “a profound disregard for the sovereignty of the United Kingdom”. The fact that Britain considered Israel to be an ally “only adds insult to injury”.

Mr Miliband added that the passports were “high-quality forgeries” that could only have been manufactured “by a state intelligence service”.

The British Foreign Office has not identified the diplomat singled out for expulsion but there is speculation that the Israeli works for Mossad, Israel’s secret service. However, the FCO would not comment on this but made clear it was not the ambassador, Ron Prosor. The UK said it was changing its official advice to British citizens travelling to Israel “to make clear the potential risk” of having their passports forged.

Britain also announced that it was seeking a written undertaking from Israel that the misuse of passports in this way would not happen again.

Britain’s decision to expel an Israeli diplomat amounts to an unusually tough response. The UK has expelled diplomats in recent years, but only over very serious crimes. In 2007, Mr Miliband ordered out four Russians over the killing of a former KGB agent and naturalised British citizen, Alexander Litvinenko, who died of polonium poisoning.

For his part, Mr Prosor said Israel was disappointed by the British decision. “It is our clear intention to strengthen the firm foundation of our relationship, which is both vital and beneficiary to both our countries,” he told reporters.

More than 20 years have passed since the UK last expelled an Israeli diplomat. In 1988, Arie Regev, a man described at the time by British sources as a Mossad agent, was forced to leave the country.

A spokesman for Israel’s foreign ministry said: “The relationship between Israel and Britain is mutually important. We therefore regret the British decision.” This terse but carefully worded response suggested there would be no diplomatic retaliation from Israel for the British move. In the past, Israeli governments have accepted the expulsion of their diplomats without inflicting a reciprocal punishment.

Some Israeli politicians, however, expressed outrage at the UK’s move. Michael Ben-Ari, a member of the Knesset for the far-right National Union party, said: “Dogs are usually loyal. The British may be dogs, but they are not loyal to us. They seem to be loyal to the anti-Semitic establishment.”