Ireland to Expel Israeli Diplomat Over Mossad Use of Fake Irish Passports

LONDON, June 15, 2010 (Xinhua) --

Ireland said on Tuesday it was calling on Israel to withdraw a staff of its Dublin embassy over the alleged use of eight fake Irish passports to assassinate a top Hamas official in Dubai.

Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said the Irish government had made this decision after an investigation reached "the inescapable conclusion that an Israeli government agency was responsible."

"The misuse of Irish passports by a state with which Ireland enjoys friendly, if sometimes frank, bilateral relations is clearly unacceptable and requires a firm response," he said in a statement.

Martin did not reveal the name or function of the official concerned, in accordance with diplomatic practice.

"I want to state clearly that the official concerned is not accused or suspected of any particular wrongdoing," Martin added. "In being obliged to leave their post prematurely, the official concerned is a victim of the actions of the state they represent."

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior figure in the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, was found murdered in a hotel room in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 20.

Dubai has accused Israel of being behind the killing of al-Mabhouh and has provided the names of over two dozen alleged members of a team it says tracked and killed the Hamas commander.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied any role in the assassination, prompting international indignation.

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