By IRNA,
London : The British government is still awaiting a pledge from Israel never again to clone or forge passports four months on, Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne has revealed.
The demand for “formal assurance that in the future the state of Israel would never be party to the misuse of British passports” was made by former foreign secretary David Miliband back in March and was welcomed by Middle East Minister Alistair Burt, Browne said.
“We cannot accept the fraudulent misuse of British passports,” he told MPs in a written parliamentary reply published Tuesday.
“The Serious Organised Crime Agency report into the misuse of British passports pointed to Israeli involvement” in January’s assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai, he said.
Last month, Burt told parliament that the Foreign Office was still in discussions about the pledge that has been linked with Israel being able to replace a diplomat, believed to be Mossad’s London chief, who was expelled over the incident.
Miliband previously said “compelling evidence” had been found that Israel’s intelligence agency had cloned British passports following Mossad’s assassination.
“The fact that that was done by a country that is a friend, with significant diplomatic, cultural, business and personal ties to the UK, only adds insult to injury. No country or Government could stand by in such a situation,” he said.
Britons travelling to Israel were also warned by the Foreign Office not to hand their passports over to Israeli officials unless it is absolutely necessary.
Yediot daily said in May that Israel had avoided signing such a commitment, “probably because it would be interpreted as a confession that Israel did misuse British passports in the Dubai operation” and hinted it was waiting for a change of government in the UK.
It reported that “an improvement in bilateral relations is expected and perhaps the rehabilitation of the intelligence ties between the two countries” if the Conservatives form the next government as happened, but in coalition with the Liberal Democrats.