Ireland expels israeli diplomat over Hamas assassination - English
DUBLIN (AP) -- Ireland announced Tuesday it's expelling an Israeli diplomat in punishment for the Mossad use of forged Irish passports to assassinate a top Hamas official in Dubai....
DUBLIN (AP) -- Ireland announced Tuesday it's expelling an Israeli diplomat in punishment for the Mossad use of forged Irish passports to assassinate a top Hamas official in Dubai.
israel has refused to confirm or deny its agents' involvement in the January slaying of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Dubai police said Israeli agents posing as holidaymakers in the oil-rich Arab emirate killed Mabhouh in his hotel room.
They said assassins using 32 fake passports — including eight depicting fictional Irish citizens — participated in the hit squad. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Ireland's national police force, the Garda Siochana, launched parallel investigations, but said their appeals for information from Israel fell on deaf ears.
"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," Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said as he announced the expulsion.
Ireland's two investigations received no cooperation from the Israelis, but nevertheless reached "the inescapable conclusion that an Israeli government agency was responsible," he said.
The Israeli embassy in Dublin includes four diplomats and two security officials. Both Ireland and Israel declined to identify the official facing expulsion by name or position, but The Irish Times reported it was one of the security officials.
Martin said the official was chosen for expulsion to send a symbolic message, and the Irish investigations found no evidence that any of the embassy staff was involved in the conspiracy.
"The official concerned is not accused or suspected of any particular wrongdoing," Martin said. "The official concerned is a victim of the actions of the state they represent."
Martin condemned Israel's assassination of Mabhouh.
"Many allegations have been made against Mr. Mabhouh which, if true, would categorize him as a committed terrorist," Martin said. But Ireland "does not believe that states should fight terror with terror. As a matter of principle, Ireland opposes extra-judicial killings. We believe that states have a duty to operate according to the law and to respect that way of life that terrorists seek to destroy."
Martin's aides said this was the first time Ireland has expelled an Israeli official. It last took such action in the mid-1980s against Russian officials suspected of spying activity on behalf of the former Soviet Union.
Israel's ambassador to Ireland, Zion Evrony, said he was summoned Tuesday to the Department of Foreign Affairs to be told of the expulsion.
Earlier this month Israeli commandos seized an Irish-run vessel trying to run aid into Gaza Port. All the Irish citizens aboard, including former UN humanitarian official Denis Halliday and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire, were arrested and deported.
The Dubai assassins also used fake passports from Britain, Germany, France and Australia. British officials determined that Israeli officials stole the identities of real British citizens, but Martin said all eight Irish passports involved fake identities. He said six of the forged Irish passports used real numbers assigned to real Irish people with different names, while two others were total fabrications.
Australia expelled an Israeli diplomat May 24 after concluding that Mossad was involved in forging four Australian passports.
Britain expelled an Israeli diplomat in March after reaching the same conclusion about 12 fraudulent British passports used by the alleged assassins.
The governments of France and Germany have yet to announce conclusions of their own investigations.
Tehran Times
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DUBLIN (AP) -- Ireland announced Tuesday it's expelling an Israeli diplomat in punishment for the Mossad use of forged Irish passports to assassinate a top Hamas official in Dubai.
israel has refused to confirm or deny its agents' involvement in the January slaying of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Dubai police said Israeli agents posing as holidaymakers in the oil-rich Arab emirate killed Mabhouh in his hotel room.
They said assassins using 32 fake passports — including eight depicting fictional Irish citizens — participated in the hit squad. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Ireland's national police force, the Garda Siochana, launched parallel investigations, but said their appeals for information from Israel fell on deaf ears.
"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," Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said as he announced the expulsion.
Ireland's two investigations received no cooperation from the Israelis, but nevertheless reached "the inescapable conclusion that an Israeli government agency was responsible," he said.
The Israeli embassy in Dublin includes four diplomats and two security officials. Both Ireland and Israel declined to identify the official facing expulsion by name or position, but The Irish Times reported it was one of the security officials.
Martin said the official was chosen for expulsion to send a symbolic message, and the Irish investigations found no evidence that any of the embassy staff was involved in the conspiracy.
"The official concerned is not accused or suspected of any particular wrongdoing," Martin said. "The official concerned is a victim of the actions of the state they represent."
Martin condemned Israel's assassination of Mabhouh.
"Many allegations have been made against Mr. Mabhouh which, if true, would categorize him as a committed terrorist," Martin said. But Ireland "does not believe that states should fight terror with terror. As a matter of principle, Ireland opposes extra-judicial killings. We believe that states have a duty to operate according to the law and to respect that way of life that terrorists seek to destroy."
Martin's aides said this was the first time Ireland has expelled an Israeli official. It last took such action in the mid-1980s against Russian officials suspected of spying activity on behalf of the former Soviet Union.
Israel's ambassador to Ireland, Zion Evrony, said he was summoned Tuesday to the Department of Foreign Affairs to be told of the expulsion.
Earlier this month Israeli commandos seized an Irish-run vessel trying to run aid into Gaza Port. All the Irish citizens aboard, including former UN humanitarian official Denis Halliday and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire, were arrested and deported.
The Dubai assassins also used fake passports from Britain, Germany, France and Australia. British officials determined that Israeli officials stole the identities of real British citizens, but Martin said all eight Irish passports involved fake identities. He said six of the forged Irish passports used real numbers assigned to real Irish people with different names, while two others were total fabrications.
Australia expelled an Israeli diplomat May 24 after concluding that Mossad was involved in forging four Australian passports.
Britain expelled an Israeli diplomat in March after reaching the same conclusion about 12 fraudulent British passports used by the alleged assassins.
The governments of France and Germany have yet to announce conclusions of their own investigations.
Tehran Times
Protest outside Governor House ends - SAMAA 01Jan2012 - Urdu
KARACHI: A protesting sit-in outside Sindh Governor House, staged by Pasban-e-Jafriya against the killing of their key leader Askari Raza, has at last come to an end after the authorities assured...
KARACHI: A protesting sit-in outside Sindh Governor House, staged by Pasban-e-Jafriya against the killing of their key leader Askari Raza, has at last come to an end after the authorities assured their demands would be met. Meanwhile, the agitators have left for Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard for burial of the deceased, reports SAMAA on late Sunday.
According to details, the protesting sit-in, outside Sindh Governor House jointly staged by several Shiite organizations, lasted for no less than 10 hours against the killing of a key leader, Askari Raza and against the police.
During the sit-in, a large number of protestors including women, children, elderly men and youth were sitting on the road of Governor House located in the heart of the city, defying the roughness of chilly weather. It was a peaceful sit-in which continued for several hours without any eventuality.
Later, the authorities assured the demonstrators that their demands would be met which prompted the attendees to offer funeral prayer of deceased Raza outside Governor House. The dead body has been moved to Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard for burial.
Earlier in the day, the central leader of Pasban-e-Jafriya, Askari Raza was shot dead amid an assassination attack in Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality, leaving deceased�s friends critically injured on the spot. The assailants were riding motorcycle when they opened indiscriminate fire at the car of PJ�s leader.
The assassination triggered violence and panic in the metropolis since Saturday evening which turned out to be a massive protest gathering in front of Governor House by the end of the day.
Earlier, the heirs of Askari Raza announced to offer funeral prayer on Sunday but later a large number of Shiite protestors rallied to stage protest at Shahra-e-Pakistan, demanding registration of FIR against the culprits and also asking for nominating SSP CID Aslam Chaudhry in the FIR, because police had refused to do so.
Subsequently, the protestors marched up to Governor House from Ancholi as the night falls and staged there a 10-hour long protest.
Seeing the number of demonstrators rise, a six-member committee was summoned in Governor House for dialogue. Following the successful talks, Sindh Governor Ebad and Faisal Raza Abdi, Advisor to the President, assured the committee that the killers would be booked soon.
On the occasion, Ebad assured that the judicial inquiry would be initiated into the slaying, accepting the demand of case registration against SSP CID Chaudhry Aslam and Orangzaib Farooqi. Moreover, the lawsuit was registered with Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station upon the complaint of Dr. Samar Abbas and the brother of deceased Raza.
Consequently, the protestors scattered, concluding the sit-in at 6am on Monday after viewing the copies of FIR. SAMAA
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KARACHI: A protesting sit-in outside Sindh Governor House, staged by Pasban-e-Jafriya against the killing of their key leader Askari Raza, has at last come to an end after the authorities assured their demands would be met. Meanwhile, the agitators have left for Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard for burial of the deceased, reports SAMAA on late Sunday.
According to details, the protesting sit-in, outside Sindh Governor House jointly staged by several Shiite organizations, lasted for no less than 10 hours against the killing of a key leader, Askari Raza and against the police.
During the sit-in, a large number of protestors including women, children, elderly men and youth were sitting on the road of Governor House located in the heart of the city, defying the roughness of chilly weather. It was a peaceful sit-in which continued for several hours without any eventuality.
Later, the authorities assured the demonstrators that their demands would be met which prompted the attendees to offer funeral prayer of deceased Raza outside Governor House. The dead body has been moved to Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard for burial.
Earlier in the day, the central leader of Pasban-e-Jafriya, Askari Raza was shot dead amid an assassination attack in Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality, leaving deceased�s friends critically injured on the spot. The assailants were riding motorcycle when they opened indiscriminate fire at the car of PJ�s leader.
The assassination triggered violence and panic in the metropolis since Saturday evening which turned out to be a massive protest gathering in front of Governor House by the end of the day.
Earlier, the heirs of Askari Raza announced to offer funeral prayer on Sunday but later a large number of Shiite protestors rallied to stage protest at Shahra-e-Pakistan, demanding registration of FIR against the culprits and also asking for nominating SSP CID Aslam Chaudhry in the FIR, because police had refused to do so.
Subsequently, the protestors marched up to Governor House from Ancholi as the night falls and staged there a 10-hour long protest.
Seeing the number of demonstrators rise, a six-member committee was summoned in Governor House for dialogue. Following the successful talks, Sindh Governor Ebad and Faisal Raza Abdi, Advisor to the President, assured the committee that the killers would be booked soon.
On the occasion, Ebad assured that the judicial inquiry would be initiated into the slaying, accepting the demand of case registration against SSP CID Chaudhry Aslam and Orangzaib Farooqi. Moreover, the lawsuit was registered with Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station upon the complaint of Dr. Samar Abbas and the brother of deceased Raza.
Consequently, the protestors scattered, concluding the sit-in at 6am on Monday after viewing the copies of FIR. SAMAA