Foreign Minister Smith should act more like a diplomat

A call was made today for the Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith to start acting more like Australia’s chief diplomat and stop publicly pointing the finger at Israel as the culprit of the Mahmoud al-Mabhouh assassination.

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh a senior Hamas militant and known terrorist was murdered in his Dubai hotel room on January 20th this year. It is suspected his death was part of an elaborate plan by foreign agents that included falsifying British, French, Irish, German and Australian passports.

Julian McGauran, Victorian Liberal Party Senator and member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security said while Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Smith has called for a police investigation into the falsifying of Australian passports he has left no doubt that he considers Israel is the guilty party.

“The Foreign Minister’s inflammatory public comments that Israel has not acted as a friend if involved in the passport scam and his public calling in of Israel’s Ambassador, Yuval Rotem, followed by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s own veiled comment to Israel that such actions are treating Australia with contempt, show a total lack of diplomatic skill,” Senator McGauran said.

“The Foreign Minister ought to remain silent as to which country or countries have been involved in the assassination and passport scam.”

Senator McGauran said Mr Smith seems to have gotten carried away with the media coverage of this international story of intrigue and has crossed the line from chief diplomat to public commentator.
“The Government has failed to delink their outrage of the forged passports from the assassination of the Hamas terrorist. They are two separate issues. The tracking down of terrorist leaders is an acceptable act in the context of the war on terror.

“The Government is acting as no friend to Israel and could even incite anti Israeli behaviour in the public by enhancing speculation. Australia has had a long standing friendship and has a strong intelligence and security relationship with Israel. Israel at least deserved the loyalty of not being named publicly by the Foreign Affairs Minister.

“Israel and Australia are partners in the war on terror. Any attack on Israel by the Government ought to be kept behind closed doors and be strictly confined to the findings of an inquiry regarding the falsifying of the passports.

The Foreign Minister Mr Smith and the Prime Minister by going public and fuelling the media stories about Israel being connected to the assassination, shows a high degree of reckless disregard for our long standing relationship with Israel and a breach of expected diplomatic behaviour in such matters,” Senator McGauran concluded.

Further information: Senator McGauran (03) 9650 3622 of 0409 387 550