Australia-Israel alliance rocked by passport fiasco

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. Photo: AJN file

NAOMI LEVIN

THE close alliance between Australia and Israel is on shaky ground after Foreign Minister Stephen Smith confronted Israeli Ambassador Yuval Rotem over the alleged fraudulent use of Australian passports by Israeli secret agents.

In a statement to Federal Parliament on Thursday morning (February 25), Smith confirmed that the passports of three Australians — Joshua Bruce, Adam Korman and Nicole McCabe — had been found in Dubai.

He said there has not been any evidence that these Australian citizens were involved in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a leader of the terrorist organisation Hamas.

Smith said an investigation is being undertaken by the Australian Federal Police and local security agencies to determine whether the three passports were tampered with and used fraudulently.

“I made it clear to the ambassador that the Australian Government regards this as a matter of the gravest concern,” Smith told Parliament. “I underlined to Ambassador Rotem that Australia expected the Israeli Government, its officials and its agencies, to cooperate fully and transparently with the Australian Federal Police investigation into this matter.”

In a media conference on Thursday, Smith said he had a five-to-six minute conversation with Rotem that morning.

“If we did not receive that cooperation [from Israel] we would potentially draw adverse conclusions from that,” Smith said.

Israel has not confirmed or denied its involvement in the assassination of al-Mabhouh.

Smith said if an investigation by the Australian Federal Police and security agencies find Israel implicated in the passport fraud, the close alliance between the countries would be in serious jeopardy.

“Australia would not regard that as the act of a friend,” he said.

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