Israel sends letter of regret over passport kerfuffle

[Scurrilous]

http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=12275&cid=15&cname=Politics

<snip>

"Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom today sent NZ Minister of Foreign Affairs Phil Goff a letter expressing regret for the kerfuffle that developed in March 2004, when two Israeli citizens were arrested for a bungled attempt to obtain a New Zealand passport by fraud.

Mr Goff replied with a letter of his own, accepting that Mr Shalom's letter -- "and the apology ... it contains" -- was sufficient to close the matter and that the two countries should "resume friendly diplomatic relations."

As apologies go, however, the Israeli mea culpa must lie mostly in the subtext of diplomatic relations -- but that did not stop Prime Minister Clark from dropping a small bombshell in her press announcement.

While saying she was "pleased that New Zealand and Israel would now be able to resume friendly diplomatic relations," she sprung the news, without elaboration, that "official inquiries had revealed that a very small number of New Zealand passports had been obtained by those working on behalf of Israeli intelligence."
She said those passports have been cancelled and that it would be futile for attempts to be made to use them."

[pie]

1. Why is israel spying on New Zealand?

[Scurrilous]

2. The two men involved...

...were alleged to be Israeli intelligence agents who were out to fraudulently procure NZ passports, possibly for use by the Mossad (which has a history of using foreign passports in their operations).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad

<snip>

"In 1973, Ahmed Bouchiki, an innocent Arab waiter in Lillehammer, Norway, was killed. He had been mistaken for Ali Hassan Salameh, one of the leaders of Black September, a Palestinian terrorist organization which was responsible for the Munich Massacre and had been given shelter in Norway. The Mossad agents used fake Canadian passports, which angered the Canadian government. This was similar to an event in 1981 where fake British passports were discovered in a grocery bag in London, leading to a diplomatic row with Israel over Mossad involvement with the attempt to infiltrate China. In 1997, two Mossad agents were caught in Jordan (which has signed a peace treaty with Israel) on a mission to assassinate Sheikh Khaled Mashal, a leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, by injecting him with poison. Again, they were using fake Canadian passports. This led to a diplomatic row with Canada and Jordan, and Israel was forced to release around seventy Palestinian prisoners, in particular the militant Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who played a prominent role in attacks against Israeli civilians (and soldiers) during the current Al-Aqsa Intifada, in exchange for the Mossad agents (who would otherwise have faced the death penalty for attempted murder).

In July 2004, New Zealand imposed diplomatic sanctions on Israel over an incident in which two Israelis, Uriel Kelman and Eli Cara, allegedly working for Mossad, attempted to fraudulently obtain New Zealand passports."

[pie]

5. I see, they had more devious dirty crap in mind

These Mossad people need to be hunted down and thrown in prison.

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. Trying to get location for the Narnia films?

Oh, it's all just a big kerfufle! Isn't that hilarious? :sarcasm:

[pie]

That is pretty hilarious. It's just a good ol' fashion kerfuffle!

"Why all the anger, NZ? Just because we treat you like
an enemy does not mean you should not treat us like
a friend!

Now, about those passports."

[pie]

6. .

[geek tragedy]

4. Trying to assume NZ identities. No one suspects Kiwis of being

spies.

And if people think that Russia, the US, France et al don't do the same thing . . .

[pie]

7. Perhaps so, but we caught these bastards red-handed!

NZ should have thrown 'em in the clink!

[geek tragedy]

8. If the people who bombed the Rainbow Warrior didn't do time, it's hard

to argue that these guys should.

[Jim Sagle]

9. Actually not hard at all - as you've already seen.

;-)

[Violet_Crumble]

19. They did do time. Two French agents served prison sentences...

Six weeks later in New Zealand, the preliminary hearing in the trial of agents Prieur and Mafart began in Auckland. It was expected to last for weeks but a deal was struck before the agents entered the courtroom. In just 34 minutes, they pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and wilful damage, attracting sentences of 10 and 7 years to be served concurrently. A UN negotiated settlement meant that the two agents were transferred to Hao atoll, a French military base in French Polynesia to serve their time. They were each released in less than two years.

http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/about/rainbow-warrior.asp




Violet...

[geek tragedy]

21. You're right. I forgot that they served two years before they and the

French government lied their asses off to get them released.

There was a lot of gloating in France over that--lest anyone think that the US has a monopoly on jingoistic disregard for international law.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

10. simple... NZ is the leading anti-nuke country in the world

I am sure the Zionists want to keep up with what is going on there.

[Nostradamus]

11. The local gangs in prison gave them maximum respect

Terrorists are top of the criminal tree.

[jarab]

12. kick ...

...O...

[lovuian]

13. Israel apologizes for Mossad attempts to gain New Zealand passports

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=afb0b870f0853944

Big News Network.com Monday 27th June, 2005

Israel has apologized for an attempt by Mossad intelligence agents to fraudulently obtain New Zealand passports.

Some of the agents served shortened jail sentences, but New Zealand froze ties until Israel expressed its apology and its regret and promised the offense wouldn't happen again.

New Zealand caught two Israelis, Eli Cara and Uri Kelman, trying to get a local passport in the name of a disabled citizen in March 2004.

An investigation revealed that a very small number of New Zealand passports had been obtained by those working on behalf of Israeli intelligence, Prime Minister Helen Clark said. Those passports have been canceled, she said.

more...

Israeli spies in the Pentagon and in New Zealand and Australia and we are worried about the Chineese Spy Network???!!!

[sellitman]

14. This stuff goes on all the time all over the world.

Ever read a Robert Ludlum book? Get over it.

[newyorican]

15. Ever hear of Jonathan Pollard?

Does it go on all the time? Yes.

What happens when you get caught? An Apology? No.
Your ass gets locked up for a long, long time (or you are used as a bargaining chip). It goes on "all of the time".

[dicknbush]

16. Well Woop de Do

By the way did you see the story that an Israeli soldier was convicted of murder today in the death of the English worker who was trying to shepherd children across the street during a battle in I think the west bank. Of course Israel at first said that he was defending himself. Also I think it is interesting that when Israeli protesters get all upset and start rioting about being evicted in the Gaza strip none of them get killed. I wonder what would happen if they were Palestinians? Hmmm let me think?????

[pie]

17. Spies caught should be spies killed

Whatever the country.
Part and parcel of the trade.

[Violet_Crumble]

20. Why should spies be killed?

And I'm not really understanding what 'part and parcel of the trade' involves killing any naughty spies that abuse the hospitality of the country they're in, as the Israeli ones did with NZ, a country that has a very good relationship with Israel...

Violet...

[no_hypocrisy]

18. Apologized? Except Israel isn't sorry. It's sorry Mossad got caught.