Pub GuideIrish passports used in Hamas killing by Israel were forged
Published Sunday, May 23, 2010, 7:21 AM
Updated Sunday, May 23, 2010, 7:32 AM
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One of the fake Irish passports identified by police in Dubai
Israeli officials forged the Irish passports used in the murder of a top Hamas operative, it has been revealed.
A report in Dublin by the Irish Passport Service notes that eight forged passports were used and Israeli officials had asked to see the Dublin plant where security-enhanced passports are made just a month before the killing.
Up to 27 people were said to be involved in the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel on January 19. Three fake Australian passports, four French, 12 British, one German and eight Irish passports were used in the killing.
The genuine Irish passports – whose numbers had been used in the forged passports – had been through frontiers in Europe and the United States, but not in the Middle East.
The Irish Independent has reported that the Israeli Foreign Service went to the Department of Foreign Affairs at the end of last year to say it was very impressed by the new Irish passports and their in-built biometric components.
The Israelis requested they be allowed see how the features were built in, but were turned down.
“After the killing in Dubai, one of the bosses here said whoever refused the Israelis getting into the passport plant should be promoted,” a source within the department said yesterday.
Fine Gael’s foreign affairs spokesman Billy Timmins stated: “I am calling on the minister to publish the report’s findings, so there can be transparency in regard to what exactly happened and what steps need to be taken to prevent a re-occurrence of such a serious lapse.”
In the parliament on Thursday, Foreign Minister Martin said two of the eight forged Irish passports were those of children.
56 Comments
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shuvonn | May 31, 2010, 01:15 PM EDT
Your screen name INFERS you are Irish, YOU suggested you are,and you are NOT,were NOT born there and visiting there a *few* times does NOT make Irish and never will so your stating you are is a LIE. Nothing extensive regarding my response to DeVelera's actions as it was HIS opinion that his actions proved neutrality. And your silly history lesson is of no importance, I do not need one. But you do contradict yourself there, if you are supposedly Irish, or like to claim you are why not then are the protestants in NI who have lived there for centuries not Irish??? That makes SO much sense now doesn't it? NOT!!
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IrishAndProud | May 30, 2010, 08:39 PM EDT
shuvonn: firstly when and where did I 'lie' about my national identity or nationality? Secondly, my opinion on the subject of Mr. De Valera's action at the German embassy quite obviously DOES matter to you, or you would not have spent even a moment responding to it as you have (quite extensively, now). I repeat: signing a condolence to Adolph Hitler is not a 'neutral' act, even if it was meant to be so. Thirdly, where did you hear me say that British law does not apply in the province of Northern Ireland, as it currently exists? Of COURSE it does...and that is why there is the division there that there is. And yes, I'm fully aware of what title is officially used in a map ('Londonderry'); St. Petersburg was for years called Petrograd (1914-'24) and then Leningrad (1924-'91) but that does not always mean all of the local populace just automatically calls it such. It's only a reflection of the political powers that be and their stamp on things, and not necessarily the sentiments or politics on the ground. In Derry's case (as I've already pointed out) it depends on whom you speak to. The Protestants in Ireland's north are not of the native faith, or in most cases native blood, either (rather, they're descended from Scottish and/or English settlers...mainly Scottish) who arrived chiefly during the Plantantion Years in the 1600's...so your insistence that the name 'LONDONderry' is the correct name (instead of just plain 'Derry') would be akin to insisting on a white man's name for something in North America, rather than the Native Americans. And lastly...the fact that my ancestry is from Ireland only reinforces your opinion that I'm not Irish...? Uh, okay...that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the clarification.
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seanomelbourne | May 30, 2010, 04:56 AM EDT
s/r; concessions of the meek are concessions of fear.
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seanomelbourne | May 30, 2010, 02:18 AM EDT
I am glad you put Israel on your "roguenations" list at least you are showing consistency. I do not know where you get your 100 nation list from, when the U.N. passed it's resolution recognising the 1967 borders only two nations voted against, Israel and that other apartheid state South Africa. If we adopt a "fait accompli" attitude to injustice's where will it all end. I remember an Aussie P.M. recognising U.S.S.R's right over the Baltic states and giving De Jeurre or full legal status.His reasoning was it 's a "fait Accompli". To accept might over right reminds of Edmund Bourke's words "concessions of the weak are concession of fear".
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shuvonn | May 28, 2010, 07:32 AM EDT
seanomelbourne: I am not in need of a history lesson. It is not up to ME to afford the state of Palestine credibility, I simply do not have that kind of power. And MY position of human rights is anything BUT selective. This article was about the illegal usage of Irish passports,which some supposedly justified by stating it was necessary to take out anyone who was a danger to Israel. I believe that IF you do not adhere to internationsl law and act like a rogue state, in YOUR own best interests, and take human lives as YOU see fir, you are worse than the people you are fighting. While many do not like it, Northern Ireland IS currently governed, and internationally recognized as such, by Great Britain. That cannot BE negated, its FACT. I do not LIKE it, but am not in a position to change that. Simply because we do NOT like things, does not mean we can change them. Palestine is not recognized by every country in fact only approximately 100 countries recognize it. So it is in fact YOU that are SELECTIVE. You do not recognize the legitimacy of Great Britains governance of Northern Ireland but yet DO recognize the Palestinian state, because it suits your beliefs. I recognize both, and worrying about what people *think* of me on a computer has and never will make me shy away from sharing MY opinion.
People DO have the right to protect themselves but I do not think that violence is the answer, it only causes MORE violence. I do not think that lobbying rockets into Israel is the answer, same as I do not believe that cutting gaza off from the world is the answer, there has to be another way and I can see why both sides distrust each other.
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seanomelbourne | May 27, 2010, 08:38 PM EDT
Sorry typo I meant to say "not hostile to Israel. Very few Irish people could afford to join golf club and those clubs who barred people did so on class distinction or on a religious bias (not necessarily Jewish) The Irish republic was declared in 1918's "all Ireland election" by a majority of over 70%. An act of a foreign parliament divided Ireland not the people of Ireland, the 1922 election was not an All Ireland election Therefore negating it's legitimacy. As for Palestine it is a legal entity under international law... Gaza, the west bank and East Jerusalem. The elephant in your room shuvonn seems to be you are aware of the desolation of the Palestinian people but you seem to deny them the right to protect themselves and take up arms to do so. Your position on Justice and human rights seems to be selective. Or are afraid people may think less of you if you afford the "legal" state of Palestine some credibility. Free the elephant.
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shuvonn | May 27, 2010, 07:30 AM EDT
seanomelbourne:Ireland is not hostile to Israel. Israel was only founded officially in 1948 and Ireland was only declared a republic in 1949 so it's hardly a shock that they didn't formally establish MUTUAL relations until 1995. And having sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians does not automatically mean that you're hostile towards Israel, one can have both, it IS possible and it is not always black and white. As for Pawn shops not being able to be owned by jews in Ireland, they were all over the place and still are in certain areas of Dublin, not to mention Cork and Galway, and some are still in operation, and up until the last 30 years there were VERY few Irish people who could join golf clubs either.
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shuvonn | May 27, 2010, 07:14 AM EDT
IrishandProud: Your *OPINION* about the actions of DeVelera, are just that *AN OPINION* They did plant a forest in his name in Israel so it looks like THEY got over it even if you didn't. I do not need to LIE about my nationality,or my national identity and quite frankly your opinion on the subject does not matter to me. It looks as if you complain about the recognition of Israel and yet fail to recognize the rule of British law in Northern Ireland, (even if we do not LIKE it, it EXISTS) interesting contradiction there but nonetheless a tad hypocritical of you. I am perfectly aware of the counties that make up Ulster and that three were left in the south because the nortern protestants would not be guaranteed a protestant majority there. Donegal, Cavan & Monaghan. The border between the two was NEVER properly marked EVER in it's history, there was always places it was not marked at all.Tell your Irish identity theory to any Northern Irish Protestant who has their foot paths painted red, white and blue and I am sure you would get a wake up call. Does Ian Paisley consider himself Irish? I think not! Do any protestants play G.A.A? I have no knowledge of any even though they changed rule 21 in 2001. I was in Armagh recently at an All Ireland Handball Final, not the most friendly of places. People in Derry can call it whatever they want to, it's still called LondonDerry on the map, FACT. And the whereabouts of your *Ancestral land* is of no interest to me but it does reinforce my opinion of your not really being Irish.
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IrishAndProud | May 27, 2010, 02:17 AM EDT
And yes...I'm quite aware that those six northern counties of Ulster are still 'part' of that other nation (behind a now-umarked border); that's the whole reason behind the bloodshed and political struggle for the past EIGHT DECADES (and really for much longer than that), as the Irish Catholic minority has fought back against being disenfranchised, whilst the Protestants stand their ground, too. However as I've already mentioned to you my own ancestral land includes Donegal, which is in the Irish Republic...or were you unaware of that? The rest of my ancestoral land got sliced off into that other entity but even if you ask any nationalist Irish behind that border what they consider themselves (and even many Protestants) it is NOT 'British.' It's IRISH, and my condolences in advance if you try to tell them otherwise. They're probably more Irish by self-identity that many in the actual Republic are, because they've guarded their Irish identity much more closely, under seige as it's been in a Protestant-dominated province which they never asked for or wanted.
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IrishAndProud | May 27, 2010, 01:55 AM EDT
btw I don't drink green beer either...or really any kind of beer. I just never developed a taste for it. Oh, and if you read the Torah, you will see that G-d did not choose one RELIGION over another, as you say; He chose a specific PEOPLE and gave them a faith to follow, in that order (read Genesis through Leviticus). And considering all the wipe-out attempts this small number of people has had throughout their turbulent history (in Europe in particular, and even today on their own ancient soil), that in itself is proof that there's a Higher Power looking out for them -- otherwise they'd have disappeared long ago.
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IrishAndProud | May 27, 2010, 01:47 AM EDT
Yes, there were certain prohibitions against Jews from joining certain clubs...I do believe that Groucho Marx and George Burns (both Jewish) formed a club themselves at one point because other clubs at that point would not admit Jews. I believe that exclusion practice has been done away with now (hopefully). In Derry (which was the city's original name; it's the anglicised version of Doire, which is the Irish word for an oak grove, held sacred by the ancients), the Catholic nationalist population still refers to it as Derry, whilst the Protestants generally call it Londonderry, for obvious reasons...both sides though do call it Derry City, as an acceptable, neutral compromise, if you will. And shuvonn...I'm not 'stuck' on Dev's signing of the condolence book; I simply brought it up as an interesting historical aside to the subject in general. But he could have sent someone in his stead to do so; signing it himself after it was openly known what the Third Reich had done to the Jewish people in Europe reflected poor judgement on his part. I do not consider giving Adolph Hitler a condolence to be a 'neutral' act, even if it was meant to be so. There are better ways of going about that. And how can I know that YOU'RE Irish, as I am, genetically? I cannot know that any more than you know about MY ancestry (which is nothing), because they are only words on a screen. You could be just saying that, for all I know. And exactly what land did Israel 'steal'? Could you be more specific? Do you mean ALL the land that is currently Israel (and has been, since ancient times), or just SOME?
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seanomelbourne | May 27, 2010, 01:17 AM EDT
Derry city council changed the name to Derry city some years ago. Derry county 's name has never changed only sectarian anti Irish politicians foisted the name "County Londonderry" on the nationalist population of DERRY
My father informed me (some years ago)
that people of the Jewish faith could not join golf club or own pawnshops in Ireland,I am not sure if he was correct ,but similar restrictions existed in the U.S.A. and the U.K. re.golf clubs I know Ireland did not have an embassy in Tel aviv until late in the 20th century.Ireland is also more sympathetic to the rights of the Palestinian's than most countries in the E.E.C. This doe's make them hostile to Israel.Ireland recognises all injustices in Israel/Palestine.(Dublin born)
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shuvonn | May 26, 2010, 07:37 PM EDT
Irishandproud: as for you assertions that the people you hang around are anti Jewish and hostile towards Israel, one can only come to the conclusion that you may in fact be hanging around the wrong kinds of people...
Derry is actually called LONDONDERRY and is in NI which is currently under British rule, so NOT in Ireland ( and we WERE discussing Ireland, as in Republic of Ireland :-) And you still have not posted proof of you assertion that Ireland is hostile towards Israel..... But name call away, it proves nothing. I still think Israel is not above international law and should not consider itself so.
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shuvonn | May 26, 2010, 07:30 PM EDT
Irish and PROUD: I am perfectly aware that Dev signed the book of condolences, however Israel seems to have gotten past that even if YOU can't. He did so in order to REMAIN neutral ( do you understand what NEUTRAL MEANS?) The actions of one MAN who died in the 70's do not represent the attitude of an entire country then and or today. Dev had HIS vision of Ireland which many Irish people do not look kindly upon at this stage, not to mention his alleged role in the murder of Michael Collins. And there we are back to the GOD's CHOSEN people again, the GOD I know does NOT choose ONE religion over another and clearly YOU DO. I know which one I prefer.
And I do not NEED to march, or drink green beer, eat corned beef and cabbage to prove I AM Irish, I actually AM Irish, unlike you who has to go back GENERATIONS to pick and choose what nationality you are. Perhaps Israel should have chosen somewhere else to pitch their tent instead of where they did? That might have worked better for them and their arrogance.. They chose to form their country ( and have stolen land repeatedly from other countries no WONDER they are a little hostile towards them) in a wasps nest.
It appears you have to stoop to name calling when you're disagreed with, how juvenile that behavior is. Most countries do not care for your pledging allegiance to others. Sort of like the cows during the BSE crisis, that awful Ian Paisley announced the cows in NI were then Irish cows and NOT British..One nationality when it SUITS and another if and when it suits..
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