Dubai seeks '11 Europeans' for Hamas killing

[Magda Hassan]

New Mossad rep to head to UK

Israel to send replacement for diplomat expelled by Britain over passport affair, Ynet learns Roni Sofer Published: 03.24.10, 01:04 / Israel News On Tuesday, Britain's foreign secretary announced, without saying so explicitly, the expulsion of the Mossad's representative in London in response to the forging of United Kingdom passports – however, despite the dramatic statement, Israel will soon send a replacement for the expelled representative, Ynet learned.
Senior officials in Israel said the government does not wish to escalate the diplomatic confrontation as result of the forged passport affair. The officials said that Israel decided not to respond to the expulsion of its diplomat and that it does not intend to expel a British diplomat from Israel, as is the custom in similar cases.

Dubai Affair
Britain: Israel responsible for misuse of British passports / Ynet and AP
Investigation reveals that Israel behind forging of passports used in killing of Hamas man in Dubai, British foreign secretary tells parliament; Israeli diplomat has been expelled from London over affair, he says
Full Story

The decision had been taken following discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who are currently in Washington, and with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is visiting Brussels at this time.
The only official response articulated by the government is the one issued by Minister Lieberman, who said that no proof pointing to Israeli involvement in Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's assassination had been presented.
The senior officials said that Britain's decision to expel the Israeli diplomat was received with great surprise, in light of Israel's cooperation with the British probe ordered by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"It's unclear how Britain, which is a party to the fight against terror alongside Israel, took such hurtful step, which undermines the prolific cooperation between the two states on this matter," one official said.

Another senior official added: "We have no explanation for the step taken by Britain, with the exception of internal political power struggles within the Labor party ahead of the upcoming elections. We were not presented with details proving Israel's involvement in forging the passports…yet for the sake of continuing our ties, it would be proper to keep a low profile. It's clear to us that British and Israeli intelligence agencies will continue to cooperate."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,...89,00.html

[Magda Hassan]

Can anyone give an update on exactly *how*Israel continues to *co-operate* with the UK and the other states whose passports have been used?

Also have any of the individuals involved sued or made any criminal claims in relation to their identity having been used against Israel?

Thought not.

[Magda Hassan]

Clone wars: Mossad's London chief expelled over forged passports

New details are revealed showing how Israeli security services stole British citizens' identities. Foreign Office advises travellers to Israel that they risk having their passports cloned
By Kim Sengupta, Diplomatic Correspondent and Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem

Wednesday, 24 March 2010


The 12 suspected members of the hit-squad that struck in Dubai, whose pictures appeared in cloned British passports

• More pictures
  

Britain has expelled Mossad's most senior official in London after concluding there was compelling evidence that UK passports used by a hit squad in Dubai were cloned by Israel. The Independent has learnt that the documents were cloned at Ben Gurion airport, and officials then made follow-up calls to check surreptitiously that the travel plans of those whose identities had been stolen would not interfere with the assassination.
"Such misuse of British passports is intolerable," the Foreign Secretary David Miliband told Parliament. "The fact that this was done by a country which is a friend, with significant diplomatic, cultural, business and personal ties to the UK, only adds insult to injury." In an unusual move last night, the Foreign Office also updated its travel advice for Israel, warning would-be visitors of the perils of passport cloning. "We recommend that you only hand your passport over to third parties including Israeli officials when absolutely necessary," the travel bulletin said.
In Israel, the official response to London's action was notably terse. "The relationship between Britain and Israel is mutually important," the foreign ministry said. "We therefore regret the British decision." But in other quarters there was undisguised fury. "I think [the] British are behaving hypocritically and I don't want to offend dogs on this issue, since some dogs are utterly loyal. [But] Who are they to judge us on the war on terror?" said Aryeh Eldad of Israel's National Religious Party.


The row marked another chapter of friction between Israel and its Western allies. Relations with Washington were reported to be at a 35-year low, following the Israeli government's announcement of 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem while US Vice-President Joe Biden was visiting. The fact that yesterday's meeting at the White House between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama was held behind closed doors was interpreted as another sign that tempers have not fully calmed.
While Mr Miliband refused to divulge the name and job title of the diplomat who was given his marching orders, it is believed to be the Mossad head of station in London. Dubai authorities have already accused Mossad of being behind the assassination in a luxury hotel of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in January. With the diplomatic expulsion yesterday, Britain has effectively made the same accusation.
The results of the investigation by the UK's Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca) remained under wraps last night, but The Independent understands that the passports of 12 people were cloned after they were taken away from their owners at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv for up to 30 minutes, so that "immigration officials" could carry out "checks".
It is also believed that subsequently, some of the passport holders received telephone calls in the weeks before the Dubai assassination, from officials purportedly seeking to arrange appointments to discuss immigration issues. The officials went on to ask them about upcoming travel plans and when they would not be available.
All but one of the victims have now been issued with biometric passports, which are a safeguard against cloning. The final individual will receive his in the next week.
The Foreign Secretary told the House of Commons that forgeries were of a "high quality". "Given that this was a very sophisticated operation, the Government judges it is highly likely that the forgeries were made by a state intelligence service," he said. "Taking this together with other inquiries, and the link with Israel established by Soca, we have concluded that there are compelling reasons to believe that Israel was responsible for the misuse of the British passports."
Diplomats were quick to note the reference to "other inquiries" – fuelling speculation that the UK had other intelligence-based information about the episode. According to diplomatic sources US officials were told of the decision to carry out the expulsion and had no objection to the strong British stance, a reflection, it is believed, of Washington's exasperation with the Netanyahu government over the East Jerusalem settlements.
Mr Miliband had been due to attend a ceremony at the Israeli embassy yesterday evening, but he pulled out in what was widely perceived as another sign of British displeasure.
But the UK has desisted from taking more wide-ranging punitive steps. In 1987, after the arrest in Hull of a Palestinian working for Mossad and acting as an agent provocateur, Margaret Thatcher demanded that all Mossad operations in the UK should stop.
And it was clear last night that Israel was not planning a retaliatory expulsion of a British diplomat – despite calls from Knesset member Mr Eldad, to do so. Tzahi Hanegbi, the chairman of the Knesset's influential Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, and a member of opposition leader Tzipi Livni's Kadima Party said: "I believe that Israel's abstaining from giving any kind of response at the height of the Dubai crisis was right. Now that the height of the crisis is behind us, it is certainly all the more logical to refrain from making matters worse."
Mr Miliband stressed that Britain would "continue to work closely with Israel on a range of issues, notably the Iranian nuclear threat" but added "that co-operation must be based on transparency and trust".
He said he had demanded, and received, an assurance from Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli Foreign Minister, that Israel would never again use British passports for clandestine operations. However, William Hague, the shadow Foreign Secretary, pointed out that a previous Israeli foreign minister, Shimon Peres, had given a similar undertaking after an Israeli embassy diplomatic pouch was found in a German telephone callbox with fake British passports. "It would seem those assurances have not been upheld," said Mr Hague.
The Dubai hit-squad also used fake German, French, Irish and Australian passports. Mr Miliband said he had spoken in the past 24 hours with the foreign ministers of those countries.
Timeline: Dubai murder case
January 19 Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is assassinated in Dubai. The suspects fly out within hours.
January 20 Hotel staff find Mabhouh's body. Hamas says he died of a sudden illness.
January 29 Mabhouh is buried near Damascus. A senior Hamas official accuses Israel of involvement in his death. Dubai police say Mossad involvement is possible.
February 15 Dubai police announce that they are seeking 11 people with European passports, and provide CCTV footage and passport photos of the suspects.
February 16-17 Original passport holders deny involvement and say their identities have been stolen. Israeli foreign minister says there is no proof of Mossad involvement. Gordon Brown promises a full investigation of the misuse of British passports.
February 18 Britain and Ireland summon Israeli ambassadors. Dubai's chief says for the first time that he is almost certain Israel was behind the killing.
February 22 As Avigdor Lieberman meets with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, the EU condemns fraudulent use of passports.
February 24 15 more suspects identified by Dubai police, bringing total to 26.
February 27 SOCA investigators arrive in Tel Aviv to interview victims of identity theft.
March 9 27th suspect identified.
March 23 David Miliband announces Israeli diplomat will be expelled over use of forged passports.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/hom...26147.html

[Jan Klimkowski]

"I think [the] British are behaving hypocritically and I don't want to offend dogs on this issue, since some dogs are utterly loyal. [But] Who are they to judge us on the war on terror?" said Aryeh Eldad of Israel's National Religious Party.

I beg your pardon? :lollypop:

[Magda Hassan]

Still slightly peeved with Israel.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Israel dismayed at British refusal to receive Mossad representative

[ 04/05/2010 - 05:32 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli political and intelligence sources expressed dismay at the UK's refusal to accept a new representative for the Israeli foreign intelligence apparatus known as the Mossad in its embassy in London, a Hebrew daily reported on Tuesday.

Yediot Ahronot said that the British government was evading the endorsement of a new representative in violation of previous understandings in this regard.

It quoted Israeli officials as expressing concern and dismay at the British stand in addition to the suspension of relations between the Mossad and the British intelligence.

The paper said that the British government was setting a condition for the return of a Mossad representative to London namely that Israel would sign a document vowing not to use British passports in any future Mossad operations.

It said that Israeli officials rejected such a condition because it would mean an indirect recognition of Israel's involvement in the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai.


UK Rejects New Mossad Representative
Al-Manar

04/05/2010 A month-and-a-half after the United Kingdom expelled the Mossad representative in London over Israel's forging of UK passports used in the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai, Britain refuses to allow a new representative to enter the country, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth has reported.

The Israeli daily said on Tuesday that London's refusal to accept a new Mossad representative comes despite prior understandings between the two countries, according to which the UK would allow a new representative to take the place of the one that was expelled.

The British condition the arrival of a new Mossad representative on an Israeli commitment, in writing, that no further use of British passports would be made by the intelligence agency in its operations.

Israel has so far abstained from signing such a document, as this may be interpreted as a confession to the use of forged British passports in the Dubai assassination.

Israeli security establishment officials are concerned with the stalemate in ties between the Israeli and British intelligence agencies. It is estimated that the affair will only be resolved, if at all, after the upcoming elections in the United Kingdom.



Tel Aviv is closely following political developments ahead of Thursday's British election. Israeli analysts believe that if the Liberal Democrat party becomes a significant component of the new government, this will have a bad influence on ties with Israel, as the party supports a boycott on Israel.

If the Conservative Party is elected to form the government, this could lead to an improvement in ties with Israel, and the possible restoration of relations between the two nations' intelligence agencies.
http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com...ative.html

[David Guyatt]

Oh dear, the LibDems share of the vote dropped from being in 2nd place back to being in 3rd place today...

Meanwhile, back in La-La-Land, can anyone truly imagine how Israel, who are universally known to have been responsible for this affair, refuse to sign off on a condition of not using UK passports in this way in the future, because it might make them appear to be culpable?

Are they so lost to realite?

[Mark Stapleton]

Oh dear, the LibDems share of the vote dropped from being in 2nd place back to being in 3rd place today...

Meanwhile, back in La-La-Land, can anyone truly imagine how Israel, who are universally known to have been responsible for this affair, refuse to sign off on a condition of not using UK passports in this way in the future, because it might make them appear to be culpable?

Are they so lost to realite?

As I understand it, the Lib/Dems couldn't form Government even if they recieved the most electoral support because the electoral system over there is skewed to favor the dual party system.

Despite this handicap, they will hopefully become the junior partner in a coalition Government after Saturday and the boycott of Israel will hopefully continue to be a policy option.

Israel certainly does live in La-La land. Decades of mollycoddling by western Governments is coming home to roost. They see themselves as having all rights and no responsibilities and have employed the mainstream media to implant this fantasy into the minds of western nations.

Now we are left with an angry, spoilt, bellicose, nuclear armed
problem which is totally divorced from the real world the rest of us are required to live in.

[Carsten Wiethoff]

From http://intelligencenews.wordpress.com/20...#more-4944


Mossad agent in Dubai assassination also wanted in New Zealand

May 7, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Barkan

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
An Israeli Mossad officer wanted by New Zealand authorities is among five suspects recently identified and named by Dubai police in connection with the assassination of a Hamas official. The officer, Zev William Barkan, has been identified as a major suspect in last January’s assassination of Hamas weapons procurer Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, in a luxury Dubai hotel. In 2004, Barkan was one of three Mossad agents who engaged in an aborted attempt to acquire a New Zealand passport, using the birth certificate of Auckland resident Tony Resnick. New Zealand authorities managed to arrest Barkan’s two associates, Uriel Zoshe Kelman and Eli Cara, both from Israel; but Barkan and Resnick managed to escape arrest by flying to Sydney, Australia, before fleeing to Israel. The case caused a major –albeit temporary– rift in New Zealand-Israel relations. Wellington canceled a planned visit to New Zealand later that August by the then Israeli President Moshe Katzav, and delayed approval for the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador to New Zealand. High-level diplomatic relations between the two countries were effectively suspended until August of 2005, when the Israeli government issued a formal apology for “the activities which resulted in the arrest and conviction of two Israel citizens in New Zealand [and] the involvement of Israeli citizens in such activities”. Dubai authorities said they plan to name more of the 32 suspects who participated in the killing of al-Mabhouh in January.

[Ed Jewett]

GORDON DUFF: ASSASSINATION IN DUBAI, ISRAELI’S WARNING TO THE WORLD

- 16. May, 2010 in Commentary/Analysis, News/Politics -
9




“WE CAN KILL ANYONE, ANYWHERE FOR ANY REASON…ARE YOU LISTENING PRESIDENT OBAMA”
When Israel sent 27 Mossad agents to a 5 star hotel in Dubai to murder Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a minor Hamas figure, it had nothing to do with Hamas or Dubai. It was a warning to President Obama and anyone else that nobody is safe and no reason is small enough to justify a killing if key interests are involved, money, drugs, power and, least of all, the security of Israel. Mahmoud is said to be an “arms smuggler” who is travelling the world to get weapons into Lebanon for Hamas. As Lebanon has an open border with Syria, the primary Hamas weapons source, the idea of smuggling is insane. Hamas orders weapons on the phone and they are driven over in trucks.
With historical researchers now putting the murders of President Kennedy and his brother Robert at the hands of Israel and moves to reopen the investigation of 9/11, an operation now increasingly showing the handprints of the Mossad at every juncture, the world’s most active assassination squads now represent a threat to every national leader, politician, diplomat and even journalist that speaks up. The undercurrent of threats has circled the earth since the Dubai assassination, not a bungled Mossad operation at all, as Israel claims, but a slap in the face for Britain, Germany, Australia and the other countries whose passports were forged and a threat to President Obama that he faced something much more serious than a deluge of laundered Israeli cash opposing his next election.
Enemies of Israel used to be Muslims advocating aggressively for Palestine, many pushing for violence. Today it is reporters, business competitors or anyone whose death or economic destruction will enhance a scheme, push through a business deal or open a door for a “friend” to rise to influence. Weapons can be murder, financial ruin, mysterious illnesses, the deaths of children or friends, all easily attributed, using the control of the world’s press, to “natural causes” of one kind or another. What the public doesn’t know, others have known all along, know well.
Dubai was a reminder, like the Detroit “crotch bomber” and the “Time Square Fizzler.”
Israel itself is a massive arms supplier and developer of security technologies. They control most of the world’s airports, you know, the ones where terrorists on the “no fly lists” move freely from country to country and develop advanced technologies to prevent exactly the problems that happen under their noses every day. Who runs these companies? The massive defense industries in Israel, industries tied to arming South Africa during sanctions for apartheid, even helping South Africa develop nuclear weapons and now peddling German built submarines to North Korea are run by members of the Mossad and IDF. This is allowed.
Since the 1973 war, Israel has never suffered a serious threat but has been involved in minor “low intensity conflicts” related to its attempt to convince 5 million Palestinian citizens of Israel to evaporate or die. Israel’s stated goal is to force other Middle Eastern countries to take on their entire Islamic population as refugees and replace them with “guest workers” from Thailand, the Philippines and other nations where drastically lower wages can turn Israel into a state much like Kuwait or Saudi Arabia. Instead of paying “slave labor” with petro-dollars, US foreign aid will pick up the bill, this and a massive arms industry.
With “bulletproof” extradition laws protecting financial criminals, banksters from around the world flock to Israel to spend their declining years in safety and luxury, waited on hand and foot.
PUTTING A TARGET ON PRESIDENT OBAMA
Mitchell Bard, head of AICE, the America Israeli Cooperative Enterprise in his recent article, “Israel’s Apocalypse” warns of an imaginary future in which President Obama works to destroy Israel:
In 2012, Obama is narrowly reelected. He is angered by the defection of Jewish voters disenchanted with his Middle East policy. Unfettered by electoral concerns, he is prepared to use his remaining years to consolidate the relationships he has built with Arab states and further reassure the Muslim world of America’s friendship.
After delaying their intended 2011 announcement, the Palestinians declare independence and ask the world to recognize Palestine and to force Israel to allow the establishment of its capital in Jerusalem. Israel protests and says that it will no longer honor its past agreements with the Palestinians. It closes its borders and reasserts the unity of Jerusalem.
Every country at the UN except Micronesia recognizes Palestine. Having pledged in 2010 to facilitate the establishment of a Palestinian state within two years, and frustrated with the failure of his peace initiative and furious with what he views as Israel’s intransigence, Obama announces U.S. recognition of Palestine. The General Assembly admits Palestine as a member.
The United States demands that Israel reopen borders and enter negotiations on the division of Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Iran announces it has built its first nuclear weapons. As many had forecast, sanctions proved useless and Obama was unwilling to use military force to stop Iran’s program. Israel is warned that any attack on Iran will be opposed by all means necessary to protect American interests in the region.
The Saudis declare that they will use all their resources to ensure the Arab states have a deterrent capability. The Arab League and the United States begin furious negotiations to head off a nuclear arms race in the region and reach an agreement with Iran to dismantle its nuclear program in exchange for Israel doing the same. Israel rejects the idea.
The United States votes with the other Security Council members to impose sanctions on Israel if it does not open its nuclear facilities to inspectors and agree to destroy its weapons. A second resolution calls for additional sanctions if Israel does not open border crossings to Palestine and agree to withdraw from East Jerusalem and to allow Palestinian control over the Temple Mount. Israel defiantly rejects both resolutions.
Following the Europeans’ lead, the Obama administration announces a trade embargo against Israel and also declares a cutoff of all military aid and cooperation until Israel satisfies UN demands.
The pro-Israel community expresses “concern” and asks members of Congress to oppose the administration policy. A handful of Republicans protest, but the Democratic majority is unwilling to challenge the president’s foreign policy beyond signing a letter expressing America’s continued commitment to Israel’s security. Israeli leftists and American Jewish progressives applaud the administration and say Israel needs “tough love” to save it from itself.
Obama tells the press the Israeli lobby is jeopardizing U.S. interests. Administration officials quietly warn Jewish leaders if they continue to criticize the president he will go on prime time television and tell the nation that Israel and its supporters are endangering American soldiers fighting in the Middle East and undermining national security. Only a handful of Jewish gadflies continue to speak out against Obama’s policy.
Before the year is out, Israel capitulates. It recognizes Palestine, agrees to divide Jerusalem and begins the process of dismantling its nuclear arsenal.
This fanciful scenario has one purpose. It is a message to the president that standing up to Israeli abuses and Israeli plots can lead to one thing, destruction. The language is clear, Israel sees President Obama as a “clear and present danger” to their plans to dominate the Middle East and grow rich on the sinking America and Europe into hopeless debt by their control of the Federal Reserve and key banking institutions.
None of Bard’s claims are rational or real. In itself, his admission of Israel’s nuclear arsenal forces the United States to institute immediate sanctions today as required by International Law and UN Resolutions. Nobody sees America doing this.
FORCING OBAMA TO HELP WITH ISRAEL’S COVER-UP OF 9/11
The unraveling of 9/11 from an “Arab plot” to an Israeli/Mossad “false flag” attack on the United States is the biggest threat to Israel. Every day one issue or another involving 9/11 from the “dancing Israeli’s,” Mossad operatives filming the attacks with advance notice to the phony “art students” in the WTC to the horrific admission that Building 7 was “pulled” are some of hundreds, even thousands of facts that stamp “Mossad” on 9/11.
Of late, despite taking a strong stand against Israeli pressure, President Obama has repeatedly asked for powers to control “conspiracy oriented” news stories on the internet and elsewhere. There is only one conspiracy, 9/11, and the victim was the United States. 9/11 was always a conspiracy, one that 7 years of public information and a full debunking and rescinding of the 9/11 Commission Report has put at the door of Israel and a group of American traitors in government, oil, banking defense and the media. Yes, the media, you can’t say that enough times.
There is one unspoken subject in Washington and that is 9/11. The Republican party, on a daily basis, does and says almost anything imaginable. Things once whispered in backrooms are now shouted in the halls of congress with all decorum disappearing when the obscene profits of America’s medical monopoly came under threat.
THE POLITICS OF MURDER
With 447 members of congress, every single one of them swearing they know nothing of Israel’s enormous nuclear arsenal, vowing eternal allegiance to Israel over the United States and virtual control of newspapers, electronic news media, thousand of internet news sites, movies, magaizines and television shows, the ability to spin anything from assassination to mass murder into a “poor threatened Israel” yarn has endangered the life of every public figure in the world who stands up for their beliefs.
447 members of congress led by Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsay Graham along with Josef Lieberman and “Hanoi John” McCain are not among them.
Maybe they poison your dog because you didn’t vote for an appropriation that would have lined the pockets of an Israeli contractor. Maybe you asked a wrong question at the wrong time and your car was stolen or one of your children was beaten up.
This is the Dubai message, reinforcing years of behind the scenes terrorism, things as small as a denied mortgage or big as an airliner flying into a skyscraper. For every lie on TV or in a newspaper there is an act of brutal thuggery somewhere. For every free trip to Israel and a young boy in underwear waiting in a hotel room, there is a rock through a window. To any Jew who stands up for what is right, their is a burned Synagogue and an anti-Semitic slogan painted on a wall.
Dubai was a reminder, a reminder to keep a lid on 9/11, a reminder to keep a lid on Detroit and a reminder to keep arresting Paksitanis over the “Times Square Fizzler” just as was arranged beforehand.

Gordon Duff is a Marine Vietnam veteran. A 100% disabled vet. He has been a featured commentator on TV and radio including Al Jazeera and his articles have been carried by news services around the world. He has been a UN Diplomat, defense contractor and is a widely published expert on military and defense issues. This article first appeared in Veterans and Foreign Affairs Journal.
Chief Editor: Veterans Today .

Also read:
GORDON DUFF : RATS IN WOLVES CLOTHING
GORDON DUFF: TIMES SQUARE “FIZZLER” ISRAEL’S “CROTCH BOMBER” REDUX

GORDON DUFF: TIMES SQUARE BOMB HOAX, ISRAELI INTEL GROUP SHOWS IT’S HAND

GORDON DUFF: STAGE BEING SET FOR “DIRTY BOMB” FALSE FLAG



http://mycatbirdseat.com/2010/05/gordon-...the-world/

[Mark Stapleton]

Thanks for posting this, Ed.

I think Gordon Duff might be right about the real purpose of the Dubai assassination.

The aftermath of the Dubai assassination had interesting political repercussions here in Australia. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd expressed anger and outrage at Mossad's use of faked Australian passports.

Deputy PM Julia Gillard took a different view, launching a stout defence of Israel's right to fight 'terror' wherever and whenever, concluding with the slavishly sycophantic comment that 'Israel is admired throughout the world'.

Suddenly Julia Gillard's political fortunes improved, while Rudd's have waned. The mainstream media vociferously attacks Rudd, while Gillard recieves soft, fawning admiration from the MSM.

Suddenly the pollsters are regularly reporting that Gillard has more popular support than Rudd, and would make a better PM. Former PM Bob Hawke, who practically made a career of shamelessly sucking up to Israel, and who is still an influential figure within the Australian Labor Party, is apparently lobbying hard behind the scenes to have Gillard replace Rudd.

Julia Gillard obviously understood the hidden meaning of the Dubai assassination better than Rudd. As Prime Minister, she would be one of Israel's most loyal servants.