Thursday
Feb252010
Middle East Inside Line: Dubai Assassination, Hamas Spy Scandal, Barak with UN
Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 9:27 
The Dubai Assassination: On Monday, Dubai officials announced they had new suspects in the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Following the announcement, Australia's Government called the Israeli ambassador to receive further information: three of the 15 suspects held Australian passports.Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said:
We will not be silent on this matter. It is a matter of deep concern. It really goes to the integrity and fabric of the use of state documents, which passports are, for other purposes.
Israel-Palestine: Life in Gaza “Like Walking on Broken Glass”
Israel Interview: Netanyahu on Israeli Culture and Security (22 February)
Middle East Inside Line: Sarkozy on Palestine State, Barak in US for Iran Talks, Son of Hamas Founder Spied for Israel
The Son of Hamas Spy Scandal: The Haaretz article alleging that Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, was a long-time Israeli spy continues to provoke. Hamas parliament member Mushir a-Masri said that the story was not worthy of a response and called it Zionist propaganda.
Israel's Barak with UN on Middle East Issues: On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss alleged Iranian and Syrian arms shipments to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Iranian nuclear issue, the situation in Gaza, and the Goldstone Report on the 2008/09 Gaza War.
Barak said that Hezbollah's 40,000 missiles serve only to harm Israeli civilians. On Iran, the Israeli minister insisted, "Nuclear weapons in Iran will change the strategic balance in the region. We must impose harsh sanctions, with a defined time frame, on Iran."
Barak said that Israel is working to ease the lives of Gaza's residents and to prevent humanitarian problems. However, Ban Ki-moon urged Israel to allow construction materials to enter Gaza as part of plans to rebuild facilities.
Barak closed with criticism of the Goldstone Report:
We are talking about a tendentious, one-sided report that harms the ability of democracies to fight against terror organizations, particularly those that operate from populated areas. The only accomplishment of the Goldstone report is that it strengthens terror organizations and their cynical use of civilians as human shields.
Reader Comments (11)
Europe and Australia don't seemed to be as concerned about the act itself as they are about the use of their passports to carry it out.
Nor is the Israeli public, from what I've heard. Very few people are bothered by the assassination of a gun-runner - but identity theft is a serious matter! :-)
I do remain sceptical though, about whether the Mossad actually did this. The hit was so sloppy and 15 - 26 people involved seems totally disproportionate. I wonder if some other outfit did this in an effort to embarass Israel and create frictions with its allies?
Catherine -
I have had similar thoughts. It is common knowledge that Mossad performs operations similar to this but the speed in which the Dubai police identified the suspects does raise questions. Further, to your point that seems like a very large number of participants for what is known as one of the worlds most efficient and effective forces. It is possible the assasignation was by Israelis, greatest motive, however Mossad may not be at the heart. Has anyone seen analysis by experts of the likely culprit(s)? Not to churn the conspiracy mill but who would benefit most beside Israel?
Also to Dave's point I also have found it strange that the concern has been soley focused on the passports.
Catherine
It is interesting to note that the Dubai police claim that some of the "hit squad" fled by boat to Iran. If I was an Israeli Mossad agent, I think I would avoid that.
It is also interesting to note that although many fingers are pointed at Israel, the only arrests made so far have been of Palestinians.
Barry
To Dave and Bijan's point about the focus of Europe (et al) being on the theft of passports/identities as opposed to the assassination itself, at least one European leader, French president Sarkozy, did condemn the act itself in quite strong terms as 'murder' and 'execution':
http://www.adetocqueville.com/20100222144231_QLB62.htm
Bijan, the reason that the concern has been soley focused on the passports is, I think, because Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was smuggling weapons into Gaza. Just imagine if he had been running a network to circumvent the Israeli blockade and get all kinds of humanitarian aid into Gaza, such as medical supplies, food, heating fuel, generators - and toys for children (!). In that case, I think the commotion would have been just as much about the act as the passports used: "Israel assassinates Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh for bringing teddy bears to toddlers". ;-)
Anyway, the CSM has an article that, while not speculating about which other organisations could have committed the assassination, does examine whether Israel - if the Mossad did it - thinks it was worth the international dipomatic fallout:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100225/wl_csm/283007_1
For the rest, I haven't found that much credible information regarding "alternative authorship", and I remain very bemused by Barry's bit about the supposed Mossad agents fleeing by boat to Iran. Where did you find that, Barry?
@Catherine
Quite a number of mainstream news sites are reporting this - the info has supposedly come from the Dubai Police chief ( as well as other info, including his 99% certain belief that Mossad is behind all this)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8537740.stm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meir-javedanfar/is-the-mossad-using-iran_b_474641.html
http://www.smh.com.au/national/mossad-hit-snares-australians-20100225-p60e.html?skin=text-only
Barry
Excellent stuff, Barry, thanks. I've only just scanned the BBC article so far, but it looks like I'm going to have an entertaining morning.
Funny, None of these article came up in the first 3-4 pages of search results when I typed in "Dubai assassination".
Love this quote in the BBC article: ""Twenty-six agents, perhaps even 30, sent to assassinate one person? Granted if they could flee the scene by sea, how could one think that Mossad agents would take cover in Iran? I ask myself. Even if they have unprecedented self-confidence the likes of which are unknown?" wrote Yossi Melman in Haaretz."
@Catherine
I think the original article comes from Reuters.
Sometimes I search via Google and sometimes via Google News. - include "boat" and "iran" in your search plus "Dubai" The word "assassination" is not a good word to search on - because some describe it as such, while others describe it as a "killing" or a "murder"
I would not at this time be taking what has come out of Dubai with too much credence- all we have seen are some grainy CCTV shots and a list of people who have come into Dubai with forged passports ( this latter thing may or may not have anything to do with the assassination). Plus, of course, the personal beliefs of the Police chief.
Like just about everything else that comes out of the ME - a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
Barry
Hi all. Mossad is CHEAP. Agents have to submit expense charges for all foreign travel and any bill that looks questionable has to be justified. Mossad agents are always encouraged to use generic drugs rather than brand names *I guess if they are giving someone an overdose they have to do it with generics* and off the shelf clothing instead of bespoke tailored stuff and if they are renting a car , rent a cheap compact, if they go to a restaurant, go to Mcdonalds, if they have to stay someplace, chose Motel 6 or the equivalent, do not stay at the Westin or the Hilton...do not fly 1st class, and always save miles !!! So how could such a cheap agency, ever, in a million years, use 12, or as later reports have it, 14 or 26 agents, to get rid of ONE Hamas guy who had zero bodyguards ???? The economics do not make sense. Also, Mossad invests a lot of money in training agents who are supposed to operate in foreign lands. Mossad has to know about all the cameras in hotels and etc in Dubai. Mossad would know that biometrics on every face that got on camera will now be circulating throughout the Muslim world, and maybe in Europe. Would Mossad blow off the identities of 14 highly trained agents, to get rid of one Hamas guy , could Mossad possibly be so inept ? Therefore , I believe, whatever group did this, may have been a group of amateur Israelis out for vengeance, it may have been a group of people out to make Israel look bad, or it may have been a group set up by another country, Iran perhaps, where two of the so called assasins are said to have escaped. But a cost cutting agency like Mossad is not going to use 14, or 26 people to do a job that only requires four or five agents at max. Note that the Mossad team used to hunt down the Black September murderers of the Olympic athletes, was only 4 or 5 guys.
Mogen David,
Loved reading your post. Tell me, are the agents also encouraged to drink cheap wine - like - Mogen David? :-)
Such bad americans, why do some people feel the need to do this?